A Possibility of Evil: Book 1
by Arrowfoot the Dragon
Summary: Miyuki isn't the average girl - she wants neither love, nor friendship. She wants power. But when she is sent to Seiyo Academy and gets a dragon shugo chara, will she be able to bring herself to betray the Guardians? Just how far will she go for power?
1. The Wish

Disclaimer for this whole story - I don't own Shugo Chara. I'd love to, but I don't. It's as simple as that.

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I've gotta admit, I'm pretty impressed with myself. Even though it happened a few days ago, I am still marveling at my ability. Only three weeks into the school year, and I was already expelled. Nice. Of course, it didn't help that the school had been so incredibly _boring._ Yamada Miyuki was _not_ going to stay at a boring school for long. I swung the sack that I was carrying happily as I walked down the sidewalk back to my house. Inside it, the uniform for my new school sat, just waiting for tomorrow when I would wear it for the first time. I've also gotta admit that I was pretty impressed with my parents. In less than a week after my... incident, they already had me ready to go to a new one. I half suspected that they had been _expecting_ me to do something that would get me expelled. But that remained just a theory.

On the outside, I guess I probably looked kinda weird, as compared to the average Japanese girl. My clothing wasn't too out there - a black and purple skirt that went to just above my knees, a mainly black tank-top like shirt with some splashes of purple, pink, and red on it, as well as some stylish black flats. I'm not too into my fashion, but I nonetheless end up buying things that look - well, good. Now it was when you came to my hair that you got to the odd part. Unlike most japanese people, my hair was a sort of dark blonde, courtesy of my american-born mother. Even odder than that are the purple streaks dyed into my hair. And it was short. I mean, guy-length short. Eccentric, yes. Weird, yes. Totally me - totally yes. My eyes are blue, but not that annoying, bright blue color - in truth, most people really classified it as a gray. A gray color with a slight bluish tint to it.

I like my gray eyes. They sorta fit my ideals.

Around my neck hung the one item I would never go anywhere without - a silver dragon medallion, hung on a black cord that was short enough to be called a choker, but long enough that it didn't bother me at all. The dragon was perched on top of a spherical, opalescent, partially see-through gem, and its tail curled around the bottom of it. I had started wearing it about a year ago, when my family had taken a trip to America to meet my mother's side of the family. Since buying it on that trip, I've never taken it off. Ever. I was a dragon maniac even then, and that necklace just seemed to capture the essence of who I was. While the necklace was nice to look at, the dragon itself sort of gave off an aura of danger and evil about it. I thought that fit me perfectly.

Before I knew it, I had made it back at my house. My mom was sitting in the kitchen, but I didn't say a word to her. Not like I was angry or anything. I simply chose not to talk to her or my father most of the time. I walked up the stairs to my bedroom, laid down on my bed, and simply stared at the ceiling. I liked to think, even if there was nothing about my life exciting to think about.

_My life is so boring. _That was my first thought. I mean, no matter how many times I got expelled or in trouble for doing things I shouldn't, it wasn't what I was looking for. I want adventure. Fantasy. And people always say that you regret wishes once you get them, but I knew I would never be content unless something did happen to me. Main characters always seem to feel inconvenienced by all the pain or work or sorrow or whatever they had to go through after being given some incredible fantasy gift. Despite that, I still want something - anything - to happen to me. I don't want to be a goody two-shoes who feels obliged to save the world or help people or feel sorry when someone dies. In recent months, a sort of... dark mood has crept over my mind. Like an infection, it filled that desire for fantasy and turned me into something I _could _make reality. A person who didn't want to be noble. It makes me feel different, which I always felt was a good thing. What was so good about being noble anyways? It was only the noble main characters who really suffered. All because they got close to someone or wanted to help everyone. And I hated that.

I let my mind sorta explore that evilness within me for a while. Examine the times when I enjoyed having power over others, as well as the times when I've laughed at others pain. Other people have even said I had an evil laugh. I'd tried to do it on purpose before, but it was never right then. But if someone else was in pain or did something that was easy to laugh at, then apparently, my evil laugh came out. It was the only time I had a decent sounding laugh; at any other time, it sounded like a hyperventilating fox or something. I suppose I don't really want to commit myself to being evil - but I want power. I want to be important. I want to be different. And I _don't _want to be the idiot main character who's so terribly righteous. It makes me gag.

Eventually, I started entertaining myself by working on my novel. I often said to myself that I loved writing and that I wanted to do it when I grew up, but I knew that wasn't true. The only reason I loved to write was to live out my dreams of fantasy - especially my dragon based dreams. Right now in the story, it focused on four main characters. Three were noble idiots. One was not. Bet you can't guess who my favorite is. I thought that later, I might have that character turn into a dragon to match her personality: someone who has power, and doesn't base how she uses that power on anything so deluded as moral principles. This was a real dragon - not the wimpy spirits that the Japanese legends said were benevolent and inhabited rivers and helped humans.

I ate a silent dinner with my parents a bit later. Actually, not totally silent. They criticized me about my recent 'behavior' problems, and half begged, half ordered me to behave myself at this new school. What was it called again? Seiyo elementary school? No... Seiyo Academy. That was it. Just what I needed - some up-tight bunch of academy pansies.

I went on the internet a bit to finish off the day. I was in a kind of depressed mood, so I watched the last couple episodes of my favorite anime, Wolf's Rain. That always got me into a dark mood, which was my favorite kind of mood to be in. It was about ten 'o clock when I actually got into bed, but I could tell it was one of those nights when I couldn't fall asleep for well over an hour. It was my first day of school tomorrow, so to pass the hours waiting for sleep, I tried to decide what I would do this time. _Give them a false name? Maybe I don't want to be Yamada Miyuki anymore. I wonder if they'll belive me if I say my name is actually Hoshina Miyuki, after that one singer... but no, that idea is too childish. Plus, the teachers will already know my name. Maybe I should try for a new record at how fast I can get expelled. I bet nobody could beat being expelled in one day. That's a possibility._

_Maybe I should use my genius and be a model student. _I shook myself, startled at the thought. _NO! How could I even think that?_

My mind continued to wander as I sat in the dark, fan whirring on high in the air above me. About ten minutes before falling asleep, around the time when I wouldn't be able to remember my thoughts the next morning, I finally decided what I should do. Actually, I suppose it was more of an unvoiced desire. A wish, you could say.

_What I really want to do... I want to be the person I really want to be. I want to do what I want because I can do it on a whim, not because it's expected of me as whatever role I may be in - student, evildoer, protagonist, or even bully. I want to lose the nobleness that I still have. It's such a silly and useless concept. And I want power. I want power to come from my freeness, my ability to choose my actions based on what I feel like doing at the moment, not to be bound down by stereotypes. In short..._

_I want to be a dragon._

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This is my first Shugo Chara fanfic, please review! I'm really writing this for all those people like me - who hate seeing the same story over and over again, where the main character is someone noble. Here's your chance to read something that is hopefully different. Of course, even if you like those stories, you're more than welcome to enjoy my humble fanfic. But I would really like reviews so that I know what I can do better. I'd really like to really write one day, and it's stuff like this that lets me know what I can improve on.

Also, please let me know about any mistakes I make with Japanese honorifics, spelling names, etc. I'd like to be corrected if I'm making the same mistake over and over again.


	2. First Day of School

BEEPBEEP! BEEPBEEEP! BEEPBEEP!

The first thing I was aware of upon waking up was the annoying beeping of my alarm. I absolutely hate that beeping, but it gets me up. As soon as that thing starts up, I'm wide awake. I quickly reached up and hit the snooze button, but once the beeping was off, I sat in bed for a minute, thinking. I always try and remember what dreams I have at night, but if I'm woken up by an alarm, I'm normally too awake to remember anything. It usually makes me a bit sad on days like today when I can't remember, but this time was different. Something was... out of place. Wrong. It took me a minute to figure it out. But eventually, I had it: the feeling of something warm and solid next to my face. I turned my head to look at it and opened my eyes. My room was almost completely dark, but there was just enough light for me to make out the general shape of it.

An egg.

I was confused for a moment. But only a short moment. Then I nearly shrieked with glee, but realized that wouldn't be appropriate in this situation._ Finally, something is happening. _I thought. _An egg. Isn't that what dragons hatch from? What if it _is _a dragon egg? _Overjoyed, I sat up and took the egg firmly but gently into my hands. It definitely had an inner warmth - it hadn't just been warmed by my own body heat or something like that. Still clutching my treasure, I rose and walked carefully to the other side of my room, where the light switch is. I turned on, and I looked at the egg more intently. The coloration, which I hadn't been able to pick out in the dark, was now as clear as day. The egg was black, and equally spaced around the middle of the egg were eight identical red tongues of flame. I frowned a bit at this - it looked more like something from a cartoon than something from any good fantasy story. But, I guess beggars can't be choosers. I was still ecstatic.

After rummaging through a pile of junk in my closet, I managed to find a large coin purse. One big enough to hold the egg. I stuffed some extra-fluffy socks into it first, then gently put the egg in. With all that padding, I couldn't close the zipper on the pouch, but I figured that as long as I was careful, it hopefully wouldn't matter. I changed for school quickly. Surprisingly enough, the uniform wasn't too bad. The skirt was a bit short for my liking, but I could live with it. I gently laid the coin purse on top of the multiple school books in my duffel-like school bag, closing the top so that my egg wouldn't fall out. After eating a quick bowl of cereal (thinking that scrambled eggs would be offensive), I was off for school. Thankfully, my mother had been sleeping still, and my father was already off for work, so I didn't have to worry about another 'be good' lecture.

It took a bit to make it to the school, being that my house was about ten blocks away. I was kinda surprised that this wasn't the first school I was sent to; I mean, it was within walking distance, unlike some of my old schools. I guess, up til now, my parents hadn't wanted the other moms and dads in the area to know how I acted. But now, they had no other choice. Being the early riser that I was, there was still about ten minutes before the start of the school day when I arrived at the gates. I braced myself for the oncoming stares and comments. Already, there had been others walking to school along the same way I had, whispering the rumors they had heard, as well as their freshly baked ideas on the odd-looking newcomer.

No matter how much I like to tell myself that I don't care what others think, the fact is that I do. My only difference from a lot of people is that I don't let that stop me from going on with my eccentric stunts. Like my short, purple-streaked hair style. I loved how I looked, but with dozens of people are staring and talking about me all at once, even I get a little embarrassed. I started walking forward, through the gate, into the front area of the school. I kept my head down, hoping I could make an unobtrusive entry. No luck. Immediately, the loud conversations of before stopped as all the students talking before school turned their attention to me. I kept my head down. I heard their whispered conversations start, as they always do at a new school. I put my hand over where the egg was in my bag, for strength. And nearly stopped walking when I felt the egg actually _move. _What if it hatched now? How would I hide a baby dragon from an entire school?

I sped up imperceptably. I had to find somewhere private - a bathroom, perhaps. I'm not gonna say it seemed like an eternity to make it to the door, because it didn't. However, every moment it took to make it there I could feel the eyes bearing down on me, the conversations focusing on me. _What happened to not caring about what other people thought? _That thought surprised me, considering I hadn't remembered my wish from the previous night before now. But of course, now that I was actually at the school, it was totally different. _There is no way I could just ignore so many pairs of eyes on me. _I thought to myself. My hand was still on the egg, and I felt it wiggle again. With the help of a map of the school my parents had obtained for me, I easily found the bathroom and grabbed myself a stall. I quickly opened my backpack and looked at the egg. But nothing had changed. It looked just the same as it had before, and it wasn't even moving now. _Wouldn't you know it? How much do I wanna bet that this dragon is teasing me. Wiggling when it would be bad for it to hatch, yet staying still when it's perfectly fine. _If it had been someone else's story, I would've found it rather funny. But me? I've gotta say being teased by an egg didn't exactly float my boat.

I closed my bag with the egg still in it, then made my way to my classroom. I made sure to keep my hand over the egg at all times. Though there was a layer of cloth where the top of the bag covered it, I could still feel its unique shape clearly. By the time I walked in, there were still about five more minutes till school would start. What fun those five minutes would be. Once again, everybody that was already in the classroom stopped their regular conversations to either stare, whisper, or do both at once. I walked to the front of the room, where a teacher with messy hair sat shuffling through some papers.

"Umm... are you Nikaido-sensei?" I asked. I was pretty sure I'd gotten the right room, but it was always best to check.

"Huh?" The teacher looked up from his work, then smiled. "Ah, you must be the new student! Mizuki-san, right?"

I blushed a bit, embarrased. The egg rocked beneath my fingers, but I ignored it. "Uh... actually, it's Miyuki."

"Ahh, sorry. Well, Mizuki, if you would just take a seat... there." he pointed to a seat, second column from the window, four seats back. I wondered if he had just called me 'Mizuki' instead of 'Miyuki' again on accident, or if he just got some sort of enjoyment out of mispronouncing my name. "I'll have you introduce yourself to the class once school has started." Nikaido finished, before going back to his messy stack of papers.

I went and sat myself down in the seat he had pointed out. Though I was glad for a nice teacher, he didn't seem like the kind of teacher I would like. He seemed like another one of those people who think nobleness is everything in the world. For him, it would prpobably be the kind of nobleness that involved helping little kids to grow and become grown-ups with hopes and dreams. Boring. Maybe I would try and get expelled on the first day. I took out a pencil and doodled on the desktop as everyone else continued to stare at me. I wanted to move the egg from my bookbag to the pocked of my uniform jacket, but realized that that would be impossible with everyone watching. In the end, I decided to keep my bag in my lap, with my hand remaining on top of the egg.

After what seemed like longer than a couple minutes, the bell rang. Everyone went obediently to their seats and got out their pencils and paper. _Just as I thought. A bunch of academy pansies that do exactly as their supposed to. _A couple desks remained empty, including the desk in the row in front me in the column to the left of me. I thought that it would've been a nicer seat. Right next to a window, able to properly daydream about other things...

"Yamada-san, won't you introduce yourself? I've said your name three times already." I snapped back to attention and felt my cheeks turn red as Nikaido-sensei called me up to introduce myself. Apparently, I'd been too busy thinking about which seat would be best to sit in while he'd called me the first few times. The rest of the class laughed, and I blushed even harder. I walked up to the front of the classroom, face looking intently at the floor. I reluctantly left my bag at the desk, afraid it would make me look stupid to walk up in front of the class with it.

As soon as I was in front of the teacher's desk, facing the class, Nikaido said, "Everyone, this is Yamada Mizuki-san"

"It's Miyuki." I said before I could stop myself. Nikaido blinked, and a couple people giggled in the back of the class.

Then the teacher smiled, and continued, "Well, everyone, make sure-" Nikaido broke off as someone barged into the room, out of breath. "Ahh, Himamori-san. How nice of you to join us. I was just introducing Mizuki-san here."

"Miyuki." I corrected again. At this, the whole class laughed, though this Himamori person looked a bit embarassed herself. At first glance, the first thought that popped into my head was, _Wow. Someone has hair just as wild as mine. Bubblegum pink - gotta give her credit for not being shy about having that loud of hair. _Then I took a look at the rest of her outfit. She wore her uniform in an insanely cool way. I wondered if this was the kinda person I could like: she looked like she might be a trouble maker. Then something moved in the air above her. I looked at the spot above her head and, to my surprise, saw three tiny people floating above her head. I blinked, and rubbed my eyes a bit. They were still there. One of them - wearing a blue outfit - seemed to notice my gaze and looked like it was saying something. The three ducked down behind the pink-haired girl's head. I mentally shook myself, trying to make myself ignore them for now. Surely, this was something else magical! I'd have to talk to this girl later. Not right now, in front of the class.

"Mizuki-san!" I turned to see Nikaido waving his arms, trying to comically get my attention. _Just the kinda image I want to give my class. Someone who can't pay attention for more than a few moments. _"As I was saying, as a reward for being late, Himamori-san here can show you around the school after class is dismissed. She is a guardian, after all."

"Nikaido-sensei, my name is Hinamori Amu! Not Himamori." _So I'm not the only one whose name he mispronounces. But what did he mean by guardian? _

Nikaido waved his hand, apparently not paying attention. "All right, get back to your desks, Himamori-san, Mizuki-san." He said. As we went back to their desks together - apparently, Amu-san sat in the window desk that I had noticed earlier - I saw the little floating people again. They seemed to be looking at me curiously. As I sat down and Nikaido-sensei started teaching, one of them (a green one with a very girly-looking outfit) floated over.

"Hello! Nice to meet you desu~!" It was quickly dragged back over to Hinamori Amu by the other two floaty people, the blue one and a pink one. Both of them laughed uneasily as they did so. I was surprised that no one else noticed them. Was I just seeing things? Despite my doubts, I watched them, finding them quite a bit more interesting than the current lesson. The blue one - who looked a bit like an artist - whispered something in Amu-san's ear.

"HUH!" Hinamori Amu shouted out, standing up. Everyone turned to stare at her, including me. She laughed uneasily (it surprised me how similar that sounded to the awkward laugh of the blue and pink little people), and sat down again, blushing furiously.

"Well, if Himamori-san is okay with it, we will continue with the lesson." Nikaido said, smiling in a seemingly good-natured way at the interruption.

_That plan of getting the record for being expelled is totally gone now. _I thought to myself. _This school has some interesting people. I just wonder what those little people are? I'm pretty sure I'm not insane just yet, so they hopefully exist. Well, I've just gotta live through the rest of the school day. Then Amu is stuck showing me around. I'll figure out what's going on, if my name isn't Yamada Miyuki!_

Beneath her hand, the egg jiggled with delight.

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Please review! I want to make this as good a fanfic as I can, and I can't do that without input! Sorry if this is really Amu-esque (with he whole making a wish than waking up with the egg.) - it'll hopefully get better as I go on. Anyway, hope you're liking it so far!


	3. Meet the Guardians

As soon as school was out, Amu came up to me. Which was just as well, seeing as if she hadn't come up to me, I would've been up to her in a flash. It would've been somewhat embarassing, but I was not gonna let her out of my sight until I found out more about her trio of little floaty people, as I was calling them. She had with her a bag very similar to my own - the kind which hangs at your side. I was glad for this kind of bag right now - keeping my hand on my egg seemed less conspicuous if the bag was already at my side.

"Let's go outside, okay?" Amu said, with the little people smiling from their positions around her head. "I'll show you around the grounds first - there's actually a lot of land here, for an elementary school." Before I could say anything otherwise, she practically drug me out of the classroom. In this fashion, we made our way out the doors to the area out front of the school. Everyone stared at us - I'd picked up a bit during my first day of school, and I guess Hinamori Amu had a reputation for being 'cool and spicy.' What that was supposed to mean I couldn't guess, except that she was probably considered one of the more awesome kids in the school. Eventually, we made it out to an almost park-like area on the school grounds, with lots of trees. There was even a gazebo, as well as several benches scattered throughout the area.

Now this seemed like secluded enough a place to start a conversation about stuff that no one else can see. Talk about it in too populated a place, and I'd be sure to dubbed the insane student of the school. "So what are those things floating around your head? Fairies?" I asked. Really, that was the best guess I could come up with, after thinking about it for the entire school day.

"We're not fairies!" The pink one floated up in front of my face. "We're Shugo Charas! I'm Ran!" I was a bit put off by this one - I'd really never liked cheerleaders, and that's exactly what this 'shugo chara' was dressed as. Then again, she seemed nice enough, if just a tad too peppy.

The blue one floated up next. "My name is Miki." I liked this one. She seemed to have a more contemplative look about her.

"And I'm Suu, desu~! Nice to meet you!" said the green one. This one struck me as too eager to please. Much too polite to have any sort of evil about her. All of them seemed to have those noble kinds of personalities. Admittedly, I could've done with someone a bit less... goody-goody, but then again, whatever these things were, they seemed magical. I'd already thought it once today, but the phrase seemed to apply once more: beggars can't be choosers.

"Shugo Charas? What are those? And how come no one else could see you guys?" I asked. As excited as I was about this, I was still confused. Underneath the hand I still had on my pack, I felt my egg wiggle.

The blue one - Miki - looked about to answer, but then Amu stopped her. "I'll explain everything later. I'm sure the rest of the guardians want to meet you, and they probably know more about it than I do anyway." Amu seemed to realize something, and changed her attitude before continuing. Now, she held herself more like the 'cool and spicy' girl I had heard about. "Anyway, let's get this over with. I'll show you around, since I have to." I liked this side of Amu more, but it was kinda hard to take seriously when she had the overly-nice shugo charas floating around her head.

We finished the tour in what must have been record time, considering the size of the school. Amu seemed eager to meet with the other 'guardians,' though I still didn't understand who they were supposed to be. Even more than that, her shugo charas kept on urging her on - they seemed even more excited than Amu to get back to the rest of the guardians. In just ten minutes, we were heading towards the large, glass-enclosed garden that Amu had pointed out earlier on the tour.

"This is where the guardians usually meet after school." she said as they were approaching.

"Yeah!" shouted Ran enthusiastically. "They're probably waiting for us right now! Let's hurry!"

I'll admit I was pretty impressed with the garden within the glass dome. It had flowers of every kind imaginable - including some that I remember seeing only in America. As I walked in, I pretty easily noticed the large fountain that sat smack in the middle of my view. This was definitely a rich school. Amu and her Shugo Charas led me past the fountain, up a few steps, to a table where four other people were having tea. They got up when they saw Amu and me approaching. Each of them was wearing a cape as part of their uniform - something I hadn't seen any of the other students with. I guessed only the guardians got to where them. Suddenly, the shortest of the guardians ran up to Amu - a girl with two big ribbons in her hair. They gave her a sort of kiddish look, and she did indeed seem to be at least one grade below me.

"Amu-chi! What took you so long! Nadeshiko-san refused to give me any cookies until you got here!" She whined. It surprised me when what was presumably another shugo chara chimed in from behind her.

"That's right! A baby needs nourishment!" It was wearing pink baby clothes and had a pacifier in its mouth.

"Welcome to the Royal Garden. So you're Yamada-san, right?" this was asked by the blonde boy. He was still waiting up at the table. I mentally counted the chairs and saw that they had one extra. Apparently, they had been expecting me. Near each person, one of the little people floated. It looked like each of them had shugo charas, or whatever the fairy things were called.

"Yeah, my name is Yamada Miyuki. I'm in the fifth grade - in Hinamori-san's class. But please, could someone tell me what's going on? Never before today have I seen anything like these... these... shugo charas, I think Amu called them. And suddenly, it seems like everyone has one." This was it - I knew I was finally going to get the answers I wanted.

The other girl - a tall, pretty one with long, dark hair - spoke up. "Why don't you sit down and have some tea, and we'll try to explain everything." I complied. It seemed like a reasonable enough idea - I get to eat cookies while they explain what was going on. In fact, I thought it was an awfully good plan.

First of all, however, came introductions. First came the blonde haired boy. "I'm Hotori Tadase, in fifth grade and king's chair of the guardians. And this is my shugo chara, Kiseki."

"A pleasure to meet you, commoner." said a royal-looking fairy person. This made me a bit angry, but I shrugged it off. I didn't exactly like being called a commoner by someone who was only a bit taller than my thumb.

Next was the other boy. He was taller, with brown hair and a sporty-looking shugo chara by his side. "Yo! I'm Souma Kukai, sixth grade and jack's chair. And this is my main man, Daichi!" The sporty-looking little guy gave a casual wave.

"I'm Fujisaki Nadeshiko. I'm in the fifth grade, and I'm the queen's chair of the guardians. It's a pleasure to meet you." Said the girl with the long hair.

"I'm her shugo chara, Temari. It's also a pleasure to meet you." said the mini-person in the pink kimono next to her. She talked very quietly, and I almost didn't catch what she said.

"And I'm Yaya, ace chair! I'm in the fourth grade. This is my shugo chara, Pepe-chan! And we like ice cream, and ballet, and-" Yaya was quickly cut off by a cookie that Kukai stuffed in her mouth. Pepe only nodded and mumbled something knowingly to himself.

Hinamori, realizing it was her turn, said, "Well, we've already been introduced. I'm the joker chair of the guardians."

Seeing as all the introductions were done, I interjected before anyone could start saying anything. "And what are the Guardians? And Shugo Charas? Why do all of you have them?"

Kukai was the one who answered. "We guardians are here to protect the rights of the students at Seiyo Academy. That's the official story, at least. Really, we're a group of people with Shugo Charas - aka, Guardian Characters."

Tadase came in at this point. Why one of them didn't just say the whole story, I don't know. "Shugo Charas are people's would-be selves - the kind of person that they want to be. They come from eggs of the heart, which contain all the hopes and dreams a person has. For most people, this egg stays unseen within the person. But when some people have a really strong or powerful dream, the egg can hatch into that person's would-be self." Of course, this talk of eggs got me thinking on my own little egg in my pack. Was it a shugo egg?

Tadase continued, "With some people, if they lose their dreams or are simply burdened down by worries, the egg turns into an X-egg - an egg of the heart filled only with hopeless emotions. This leaves the person as a sort-of empty husk, unable to hope or dream, while the egg goes off to work mischief. Sometimes they hatch into X-charas. As guardians, we do our best to keep that from happening."

"That's where Amu-chan comes in!" Shouted Ran, Amu's pink chara, enthusiastically. "We chara-nari with Amu, and make the X-eggs and X-charas all better!"

"Wait..." I said, slowly. This was a lot of information to take in. "So what's a chara-nari?"

Amu decided to explain this. "That's when... you sorta combine with your shugo chara, using your would-be abilities to their fullest. Sorta like super-powers, almost. I can use my chara-nari to cleanse X-eggs and X-charas, so that they go back to how they should be. But so far, I think I'm the only one here who can do it..."

I nodded. I think I understood most of it now, except... "Why can only we see them? Why can't anyone else hear or see your guys' shugo charas?"

Nadeshiko answered this question. "Well, most people can't see shugo charas unless they have one themselves. Some little kids - like Amu-chan's little sister - can still see them, but that usually doesn't last long. The reason you can see them is that we think you have a shugo egg. All of our shugo charas sensed something like that with you when you arrived at school today."

"Do you mean this?" I asked, opening my bag and pulling out my egg, which I held cupped in my hands on the table. "I found it on my pillow this morning. I had been hoping it was a dragon." I said that last bit before I realized just how lame it sounded. I blushed and saw the egg jiggle in my hands.

"Oh, it moved desu~!" Said Amu's green shugo chara, Suu.

Kukai laughed. "A dragon, huh? Well, if that's what you want to be, then I wouldn't be surprised. You're egg _does _look kinda dragonish. Like the fire-breathing dragons, though, not like the dragons from Japanese legends." All the charas were now crowding around my hands, looking at the new shugo egg.

"Come on out! Do your best!" said Ran to the egg. It didn't seem to respond.

Pepe came up from the other side of the egg. "Come out so we can play, okay?" Still no response.

"Commoner! I order you to stand before me! You must aid me in my search for the embryo!" Now this triggered a response. The egg jumped out of my hand and bounced on top of Kiseki's head three times before landing back in my hands and laying still. His little crown was knocked off in the process, and he fell to the table top, a bit dazed. Everyone simply stood, shocked for a moment. Then Kukai started laughing, and everyone else broke into hysterics as well. Even me. It'd been a while since I'd had a good laugh - over the summer, I'd more or less secluded myself from social contact. Even after classes started at the other school, I didn't really make any friends. In truth, I got kicked out before I could make any friends. Three weeks wasn't a long enough time to do that. Seiyo Academy was about as far into the school year as my other school had been, so it's not like I was too late to get into a group. Perhaps this proved it.

Kiseki's little voice cried out indignantly from the table top, but no one seemed to hear him. I had to set the egg on the table top, for fear of hurting it in my laughing fit. In truth, the egg had done exactly what I had wanted to do when the little king had called me commoner.

As they were all finishing up their laughing, Kukai said good-naturedly, "I can tell you'll be interesting to have around! First getting kicked out at your own school, and now an egg that won't take being looked down on! Didn't you set your old-school's lab on fire or something?"

I saw that he wasn't being pushy or mean about the incident, so I decided to tell them. I had been careful not to mention it to anybody, but apparently they already knew. "Yeah." I said. "I nearly caught the teacher's shirt on fire after mixing two chemicals." I laughed, making it into a joke. Kukai laughed as well, and everyone else joined in for a shorter laughing fit. As I grabbed my egg up from the table and cupped it in my hands again, I asked, "But how did you know?"

"As guardians," Tadase said, "It's our duty to know about the students attending here. How can we protect their rights if we don't know about them?" _Seems like a major invasion of privacy to me. _I thought. But I left it unsaid. As long as they didn't know that the explosion was purposeful and not an accident, then I was fine.

So I asked the last question I had on my mind - for the moment, at least. "What did Kiseki say earlier? Something about an embryo? Is this something I should know about?"

Suddenly, a little crown appeared on Tadase-kun's head. His eyes seemed to flare up as he stood triumphantly on top of his chair.

"A-ha-ha-ha! Listen to your king as he graciously explains to you commoner! The embryo is a magical egg that can grant any wish, and it is this egg that I need to accomplish my attempt at world domination. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Join me, commoner, in this -" He was cut off as the egg once again jumped out of my hands, this time hitting Tadase hard in the center of his forehead. The crown disappeared, he lost his balance, and fell backward.

"Are- you- okay, Hotori-kun?" I managed to gasp out between laughs as Kukai (who was also laughing) helped Tadase up. Tadase rubbed his head, but smiled. He would be okay. As I laughed, I thought, _World domination, huh? He still seems like a noble conquerer, but world domination is usually an evil-enough goal. Even if he is another goody-goody, I'd say that the goal more or less makes up for that. This is definitely an interesting bunch. _

"What was that about? Why'd you go all 'world domination'-ish all of a sudden, Tadase-kun?" I asked. He smiled and blushed a bit, embarassed.

"It's a chara-change!" Yaya explained. "You become your would-be self for a short amount of time, sorta. Do you want to see mine?"

Imagining Yaya having a baby-like outburst, I quickly responded. "No, that's alright." Then, addressing everyone else, I asked, "So are you all helping him with world domination?"

"Yep!" Said Yaya.

"Why?" I asked.

Yaya, Nadeshiko, and Kukai answered in unison: "Because it's interesting."

Hinamori-san and I exchanged a glance, where she gave me an awkward smile. "I thought it was kinda weird reasoning when I heard it, too." She whispered to me while the others laughed. I joined in on the laughing - I really hadn't laughed this much in a long time, and my sides were beginning to ache from the constancy of it.

Once everyone had calmed down a bit, Nadeshiko addressed me. "Miyuki-san, we didn't invite you here just to inform you. Seeing as you are going to have a shugo chara of your own, would you like to join as an official guardian? I'm afraid we can't think of any name for you, though, seeing as ace, joker, jack, queen, and king are already taken."

I pretended to think it over for a minute, though I already knew my answer. This was my first chance at a fantasy adventure - perhaps I was joining the good side for now, but that could always change later, once I found out who the bad side was. If there was a bad side. But for now, the answer was obvious - I had even fit in well with this group on my first time meeting them, which was something that had never happened before.

"I'm in." I replied. Everyone gave a little cheer, but I cut them off, not yet finished talking. "Can we make a new chair? How about the deuce chair?"

"Deuce?" asked Tadase, confused.

"Yeah, deuce." I replied. "When I was in America a while back, my relatives liked to play card games. A couple of them couldn't be started without a '2' card, and I remember them calling two's 'deuces.' So why not deuce?"

"Isn't the two the lowest ranked card in most games?" asked Amu.

"Well... yeah. I guess." I said. "But it's better than just being called 'honorary' or 'official' guardian. Whether it's lowest or not, it's still an actual name."

"Okay then." Said Kukai. "Deuce it is! Welcome to the guardians, deuce chair Miyuki-san! We'll announce it at the student-guardian meeting next week!"

Unnoticed by all but me, the egg wiggled in my hands again.

* * *

Thanks for reading! And thank you to those who have favorited my story so far: Suzuka Harukaze and LadiiReckless! I really feel encouraged the more people who favorite or review. Speaking of which, please review! I want to know how my writing is - if I drag on, if you're able to picture easily the scene in your head, etc. I promise I won't be offended by constructive criticism! In fact, I'd appreciate all that I could get!

I hope you people don't mind long chapters... because it seems like it takes me a while to finish each one. ;D They just keep on getting longer... I guess that shows how much I enjoy writing them! I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do! Happy New Year, peoples! (and if you haven't seen episode 64 subbed, go to veoh[dot]com - it's a new years episode, and the ending is a priceless Amuto moment)


	4. Of Hatching and Chara Change

I stayed for a little while longer before leaving the Royal Garden. Of course, I wanted to stay a lot longer and get to know the rest of the guardians more, but I knew my parents would get angry if I was gone too long. It was like they couldn't trust a daughter who gets expelled for an teensy-weensy little explosion. Typical parents. This time, I kept the egg in the pocket of my uniform jacket. The pocket was deep, so it seemed like a safer place for the egg then in my bookbag, where the numerous books, notebooks, etc. could possibly harm it. I walked home happily, with one hand on the egg, and the other touching the necklace at my neck. I often used it as a source of strength - whenever I was scared (which wasn't too terribly often) or really angry or (as in this case) really happy, I would touch it. It was just one of those weird habits of mine.

As soon as I walked in the door, my mom called out from the living room. "How was your first day of school? Did you behave yourself?" It sounded like she was trying her best to sound optimistic, though I knew she was still angry at me for getting kicked out of my other school.

"Fine." I said unenthusiastically as I walked up the stairs to my room, hiding how excited I actually was. This had been probably the best day of my life so far. I wrote for a bit, my emotions and feelings being conveyed through my work. Now, the three noble characters of my story no longer seemed quite so boring. I simply added some guardian-like characteristics to them here and there - one wanted to conquer so that he could make everyone's lives better. Another loved to joke, and laughed a lot. The third was undecided as to what she wanted to do with her life, and so tried everything.

_Amazing how much a shugo chara can reveal about a person. _I thought as I typed away the story on my computer. Which got me thinking some more. _What will my shugo chara reveal about me? Will the guardians learn who I really am - a power-hungry, nobleness-hating villain? _That thought scared me. They would probably never talk to me again if they found that out. And as much as I wanted to say that I couldn't stand their stupid little morals, it was untrue. Perhaps I wanted to be evil, but I still liked them. In just a day, I had laughed harder than I probably ever had before. All because of them. As much as I wanted to say I liked being on my own, I knew that I enjoyed their company. They were a fun group, and I really wanted to spend more time with them.

I moved my swivel-chair back and twirled it. I had been so happy when I got it last year from my parents. Of course, that was before I'd done anything really bad. They'd gotten me an actual desk along with it, saying they wanted me to keep my grades up. On top of the desk was the family laptop, though I was usually the only one to use it. A chair was probably an odd thing for a young girl to get excited about, but twirling in a circle really helped me think. I held the egg in my lap as I spun, ideas and thoughts tumbling around my head in the process.

Suddenly, an idea came to my head. "I want to go walk around town." I said to myself, thinking aloud. I hardly ever wanted to go outside - usually, I was content to just sit in my room and read, write, or surf the internet. But today was different. I was still hyper from the events of the day, and staying in my room seemed like absolutely the most boring activity in the world. Not to mention, it was only about five in the afternoon, which would leave me stuck in my room for another five hours or so before actually going to bed. _Of course, my parents would never let a juvenile delinquent like me out to roam the streets._ I thought glumly as I continued my spinning.

Suddenly, I felt movement from the egg in my hands. It was rocking harder than I'd felt it all that day. I stopped spinning, and watched with delight as the egg floated upwards until it was eye-level. A zig-zagging line appeared around it's middle, then darkened as the fracture in the shell grew deeper. _It's hatching!_ I thought to myself, pointing out the obvious. With a final loud crack, the two parts of the shell flew off and disappeared, revealing my very own shugo chara.

She was the same size of the other shugo charas. To my disappointment, she wasn't completely a dragon. But she was close. She still had the general human body - she was skinny (for the size of a shugo chara, that is), and wore a smooth black skirt that cut off just above the knees, as well as a semi-loose, long sleeve black shirt. All in all, a very elegant yet practical outfit. On her feet was what looked like tight-fitting footsies made to look like dragon feet (with claws at the end of three menacing-looking, purple-scaled toes), Whether they were shoes or what, I could tell those claws would hurt to be scratched by. Her hands looked like regular hands. Except perhaps for the fact that her fingernails were really more talon-like: thick, long, curved, and sharp. Her hair was long, and it draped down her back in a beautiful fashion, matching the elegance of her outfit. Oh, and the hair was purple. I realized it was the same shade of purple as her dragon-feet, as well as the same shade that could be found streaked through my own hair. It was my favorite color - a nice, deep violet. Her eyes were ever so slightly slanted, and her pupils were like a cat's: slim and vertical, rather than round. Around them, a light shade of red (though not so light that it could even come close to being called pink) colored the iris. One of the eyes was partially covered with stylish bangs of her purple hair. From a black cord around her neck hung a small red sphere, of the same shade as her eyes.

And though she looked amazing by all those standards, that wasn't the best part. Sprouting out of her back were two dragon-like wings, the same color of purple as so much of the rest of her. In addition to this, she also had a slim yet strong violet dragon tail. Both seemed to sprout out of the clothing itself, though by the way she moved them it was obvious to tell that they were just as much a part of her as her arms or her legs. And, to top it all off, two slender horns sprouted from the top of her head, both the same red as her necklace and eyes. All in all, I was ecstatic. Perhaps she wasn't exactly a dragon, but she was pretty darn close.

As I was taking all this in, she smiled at me. I noticed two little dragon-like fangs in her mouth, where the canines usually were in a regular human mouth. "So why don't you?" she asked.

I wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about. "Why don't I what?" I asked.

"Go outside. Take a stroll. That _is _what you feel like doing right now, right?" Her voice was smooth, with a slight hint of sibilance to it.

"Well, yeah, I just sorta had the urge to go outside. But..." I said, sort of trailing off.

"But what?" She asked, in a kind tone of voice.

"But..." I continued, "But my parents would never let me go outside. I'm unofficially grounded. Plus, they worry about a fifth grader roaming the city alone. As if I can't take care of myself."

"So? What do they have to do with whether or not you go out or not?" Asked the dragon-like chara.

"Well..." of course, they had quite a bit to do with it - who knew how much trouble I would get in if I went without their permission. But I saw the point the chara was getting at: if I really wanted to get out of the house, I could. The only thing holding me back was fear of the consequences.

"If you don't have a good answer, then let's go. Chara change!" The orb of my dragon necklace and my normally grey irises turned the same shade of red as my chara's necklace and eyes, and I found myself silently opening my window and jumping out. _Wait!_ I shouted inwardly. _My room is on the second floor! I'm gonna kill myself!_ Surprisingly enough, my legs absorbed the impact easily. In fact, my body hardly seemed to be phased by the fall. My body (which wasn't completely under my control at this point), ducked down to avoid detection by my mother, who might've been able to see me from a nearby window. Once out of view of the windows of my house, my necklace and eyes changed back to their normal colors and my body came back under control of my brain.

"What was that for? Do you know how much trouble I'll be in once they realized I've pulled a Houdini on them?" I asked my chara incredulously, who was currently floating by my side, wings folded. Thankfully, we were currently in a small alley between houses, so the chances of someone seeing me talking to something invisible was fairly small.

She smiled at me, a smile that was half kind and half mischievious, and introduced herself. "My name is Azami. I'm your shugo chara. Don't you remember the wish you made last night, Miyuki-chan? You had a desire to be more... dragonish. To not care what others think. To act based on whatever it is you want to do at any given moment, not thinking of the consequences. To not live by any sort of code, like moral standards. That is what it means to be a dragon. I was born from that feeling." Azami scowled, though not in an unkind way. More like she was going to... playfully scold me. Which indeed she was.

"But if you're going to use what your _parents_ might do to you as an excuse not to do what you want, then I might as well go back to my egg. A dragon doesn't care about what will happen. A dragon lives in the here and now. And a dragon uses the power that comes from living only in the present to avoid negative consequences, if they do indeed come. So, are you ready to go?" Azami opened her wings and glided down the alleyway. I ran to catch up, though she slowed down when we reached a sidewalk in a more occupied neighborhood. I took the lead more at that point, deciding to head to a nearby park. A place that would be big enough that I could find a spot to talk with my guardian chara.

As we walked (or, more accurately, as I walked and Azami glided by my side), I couldn't wait to ask my questions. I made sure to keep looking forward as I talked, though, so that if someone noticed me, it would look like I was simply talking to myself. "So how in the world did I jump from that window without hurting myself? Was that your power?"

"My power _is _your power." Replied Azami. "But yes, that power came from the chara-change. There's a lot more you can do with the power of a dragon. As you saw, you're much stronger and can take more powerful forces without hurting yourself. That jump didn't even bother you. You can also jump a good bit higher, run faster, and you're quite a bit stronger, among other things. In addition to the mood-change to that of a dragon, you also get more... cunning with your chara-change. The power you want isn't centered around one aspect in particular - true power comes from a balance of mind and body. You're attitude, intelligence, and physical strength all contribute to this."

"So... could I jump from the top of a building?" I asked, interested to know how far my abilities would stretch.

"That depends on how tall the building is." She said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a mischievious glint in her red eyes.

"Do you wanna find out?" I asked. I couldn't help turning my head and smiling to her. I could only imagine the look of recklessness that was probably being expressed by my face.

"Does it matter if I wanna find out? If you want to find out, then let's find out!" She said encouragingly.

I led the way, speeding up my pace and changing my route as true freedom flooded through my veins. _So _this _is what it's like to be a dragon. To not care what will happen, only what is happening. _I knew of an apartment complex nearby. I'd gone past it numerous times before, and had also seen aerial pictures of the place. It was three floors tall, and rather hexagonal in shape. It was more or less a ring of apartments, with a courtyard in the center. The apartments had balconies, both on the outside of the hexagon and on the inside looking out into the courtyard. That's what made the place perfect: not only could I test out how far I could fall, but I could also test my jumping abilities by jumping from balcony to balcony to make it up to the roof.

As soon as the place was in sight, I grinned. "This is the place." I said.

"You might want to get a running start, since it is your first jump using your full abilities. Plus, you can fall a lot easier than you can jump. So, are you ready?" Asked Azami.

I nodded, to psyched to say anything more.

Azami smiled, her little dragon fangs showing. "I'll be with you all the way! Chara-change!" Once more, my necklace and eyes changed to red, and I felt strength and boldness flow through me. I ran the twenty feet up to the nearest second story balcony, then jumped. It was a jump similar to that of a high-jumper or a basketball player making a layup. I sort shifted the direction of my body from that forward motion of the run to the upward motion I wanted in the last couple seconds, then leaped. It was a thrilling feeling, and I easily cleared the railing and made it onto the small balcony. Not wanting to be caught, I quickly focused my attention on the next floor I needed to make it to. I realized that, since the balcony above me was... well, straight above me, there really wouldn't be any way I could make it to that balcony. Unless I had wings. I checked my back, just to make sure, but I still had no wings. Oh well. I decided to jump to the balcony not directly above me, about ten feet away horizontally and ten feet up. Since the deck was too small to give me a running start anyway, I balanced myself on the railing (this was actually quite easy. Apparently, the chara-change improved my balance as well) on the side of the balcony and crouched down to get the ultimate amount of momentum out of my jump. I flew through the air, barely managing to grab a hold of the top of the railing. However, I did get a hold of the railing, which is the important thing. Thanks to my increased strength, I was able to haul my self up onto that third floor balcony with only a little effort.

I could feel Azami's presence as I made the final jump to the roof. This was easier than making it to the third floor balcony, mainly because I didn't have any railings I needed to jump over. I managed to land, feet first, on the roof. I felt the chara change end, so I sat and admired the view for a bit. The adrenaline of doing something like that - something reckless in the sense that if I fell, I could die, and in the sense that I could be arrested for tresspassing - still coursed through my veins. It seemed like no one had seen me, but that really didn't matter anymore.

Azami and I just stayed up there for a while. Not like the view of the city was all that beautiful, but it felt like a bird's eye view from way up on the roof. Finally, as the sun was beginning to set and my stomach was beginning to grumble, I prepared myself to jump off the roof. I walked to the edge, then backed away in hesitation. It had certainly seemed like a good idea earlier, but now that I was actually on the roof, I had a bit of a different perspective on things. This was probably over twice as high as the jump from my window.

"Umm..." I said. "Maybe this isn't such a great idea."

Azami tried to put on a disapproving frown, but ended up laughing instead. "No _real _dragon is afraid of heights." She said mockingly, though not cruelly. "As I was saying before, a _real _dragon doesn't care about consequences. Not even the possibility of a hard fall. But, since I _am _your would-be self, I'll give you a little boost." Once again, my eyes and necklace turned red as all fear left me. I stepped boldly up to the edge, then thought better of it and backed up. If I was gonna jump, I was gonna make it a good jump. Going straight down was too boring. It would be much more fun to get a running start. And so, I backed up about five feet from the edge, mentally prepared myself for the adrenaline rush one more time, ran forward, and leaped.

I swear, you can't truly live life unless you do something reckless at least once. This was the first time I'd done something so directly life-threatening on purpose, and only those people who have experience something similar can possibly imagine the feeling. I seemed to notice everything as I fell. My senses were heightened not only by the adrenaline, but also by my own dragonish chara-change. The feeling was amazing, and I only wish it had lasted longer. But, soon enough, my feet hit the ground. The landing jarred me a bit, and I knew that a jump from much higher than that would probably get me hurt. But still, I had jumped from a three-story building! What a rush!

We said nothing to each other on the way back, that leap having been all that needed to communicate. Though I had been chara-changed at the time, it still showed how much faith I put in Azami, and she knew it. Not to mention, the fact that she had indeed chara-changed me to help me get through it without killing myself. This had been kinda like one of those faith tests, where you fall backwards and trust a partner or friend to catch you. Except for the fact that I would've died if I hadn't been caught. There was that tiny difference.

The sun had already set by the time we made it home. I did a quick chara-change to jump up to my window, using ridges in the outer wall to give me a boost. When I crept in the window, everything seemed to be as it should have been. The light was off. The computer monitor, though the green light showed it was still on, was blacked out in power-saving mode. My chair was in the center of the room where I'd left it, it's back facing me. It seemed like my parents hadn't noticed my absence. I almost breathed a sigh of relief, but then I looked closer at the chair. It seemed like there was something more to it. I wished I was still chara-changed, since I'd found that the red eyes helped me to see in the dark.

"Someone's in the chair." said Azami from my side. I could here her powerful tail flicking back in forth, in what I guessed was either anticipation or defensiveness. I nearly whispered for her to shut up, but then realized that most people couldn't see or here her, so it wouldn't make a difference whether she talked or not.

Then, the chair swiveled. Even in the dim light, I could tell who the occupant was. My mom.

"Yamada Miyuki, where in the world have you been!?!" She asked angrily. "You know you shouldn't be out without our permission! We kept calling and calling you for dinner, but you never came, and what a shock it was to see that you had just up and left! Your father is downstairs watching the TV, making sure you didn't do something stupid!"

Now this annoyed me. What did they think I was doing, selling drugs? "You mean something that would get me arrested, right?" I asked incredulously, surprised my mom would even make such an inference.

"What were you doing out there?!?" My mom asked again, avoiding the subject of exactly what she was inferring.

Suddenly, I felt the familiar sensation of a chara-change come on. I wondered if Azami was going to make me use my strength to knock my mom out or something, but I decided to just go with it. This time, though I still felt the familiar boost of strength, I noticed something that I hadn't noticed before - a sort of heightened mental activity. It's like I was thinking more clearly and much faster than normal. And I was thinking more... cunningly.

Tears came to my eyes. That shocked me - I was more angry than sad or guilty. Then I saw them for what they were: crocodile tears.

"I-I'm sorry, mommy." I said through my tears. "I-I-" *sniffle* "I just wanted to meet up with a friend from my old school. I really missed her, and I hadn't had a chance to s-see her since that- that-" *sob* "accident. B-but I didn't think you would let me see anyone from my old school, so I- so I- I'm so sorry!" I broke out into sobs that would have softened the heart of even the saltiest crocodile. I was amazed at my own genius. Though I'd never had a problem with the moral aspect of lying, I'd never been this amazingly good at it. It was awesome. My mother, looking guilty for her anger, came up and soothed me.

"It's okay, sweety. I understand. But next time, please tell me where you're going. Maybe I could have given you a ride." I sniffled and, keeping my eyes averted downward in fake shame, I nodded.

From downstairs, a voice shouted. "Miyuki, are you there! Come down here this instant! You too, honey!" I wiped my tears away. My eyes were still somewhat bloodshot, but other than that, hardly any sign remained of my little guilt-trip. Whether it was me or Azami that did it, the chara-change remained. Perhaps we both realized that I might still need it.

My mom and I walked down the stairs, into the living room where dad had the TV turned on. He turned down the volume. My mom was the first to talk.

"It's okay, honey. I talked with Miyuki-chan, and we worked everything out. She seems contrite."

My father simply looked at me, straight in the eyes. I didn't look away. "You know," He started. "I just saw quite the amazing footage on the local news. It was shot from a distance, so not much can be determined from it, but it showed what looked like a young girl jumping from the roof of a three-story apartment building, and miraculously surviving and walking away. The old lady who taped it called the police when she saw the girl preparing to jump, but she was gone before the police made it. The girl had rather similar clothes to you. And the people of that side of the apartment building says they had heard something earlier this evening, but when they looked out to their balconies, no one was there. You wouldn't have happened to have seen anything while you were out, did you?" His voice stayed calm, as if he was just starting a conversation, but it had a clear hint of accusation behind it.

"Honey, what are you implying?" asked my mother. "You can't possibly be saying that Miyuki jumped off the roof! There's no way she would've been able to walk away unhurt!"

My father just continued to stare into my eyes, ignoring my mother's question. And yet, I had no trouble looking into his eyes. None at all. He didn't even seem to notice the different color of my chara-change. I felt power in my gaze. It was an odd feeling, but if I had to describe it (which I guess I do have to describe it), then I would call it similar to that power that authors always say snakes have when staring down their prey. Almost a sort of... hypnotism.

"No, I didn't see anything, dad." I said, putting all I could into convincing him of my innocence. "And of course, mom's right. There's no way I could jump from a roof and live. Even if the building was only one story. Not to mention three stories." My fathers eyes seemed to waver, and then he dropped his gaze.

"Of course, of course." He said, in what sounded like a slight daze. "There's no way it could have been you. I don't know what I was thinking. Well, I'm just glad that you're back safely. Don't go running off again, okay?" His voice didn't carry much conviction. He seemed distracted, like there was a thought just at the edge of his mind that he couldn't get a hold of. My mother sent me to bed, and I went to my room, mentally patting myself on the back as the chara-change faded.

I put on my pajamas before heading to bed. I was fairly exhausted from the day. Despite the strength chara-changing gave me, jumping from a four story building still wore a person out. I positioned my extra-fluffy socks on my bed side table, giving Azami a place for her to rest in her egg, whose shell parts had magically appeared where she wanted them.

"So what was that just then?" I asked.

"With the power to disregard consequences comes the power to deal with consequences." Azami replied. "Dragons have no qualms about deceit - in fact, lying is more of a past time for dragons. Of course, I wouldn't suggest lying all the time just because you can. That is, unless you want to." Even in the dark, I knew that mischievous smile was on her face.

"So what about that thing with my dad?" I asked.

"Well, it all comes from that same power. You could call that the power of... persuasion. In this case, it was easy - what you were trying to get him to disbelieve was pretty unbelievable for him anyway. The more believable a story or proposition you make, the easier persuasion is. Also, I wouldn't try it against other people who can see shugo charas. They would be more resistant to it, and might even realize what you're trying to do. Of course, that would add a fun bit of risk to it, don't you think?"

I smiled. "Yeah, though I can't think of any reason why I'd want to... persuade the guardians. Their the only ones with charas that I know." I had told Azami all about the guardians earlier, though she had heard most of what I knew from inside her egg. I had congratulated her on her attack on Kiseki and Tadase as well - both were classic moments, not soon to be forgotten.

_Persuasion, eh? _I thought to myself. _My life just keeps getting better and better. All thanks to Azami._

_Azami.. Azami..._

And with that last thought in my head, I feel asleep, deeply content.

* * *

As always, thanks for reading! I always need to improve, so please review - I'd really appreciate it. And I know I already said it in the last chapter, but happy new year to all! (you know what will make my new year happy? Reviews. O_o Just joking.) (actually, not really. Review, please!) Also, thanks to Suzuka Harukaze, who is the first (and so far, only) reviewer of this story! Thanks so much! Glad you enjoy the story!

You know, I've got over 5,000 words in this chapter. Over 5,000 words in a single chapter! Can you believe it? OMG o_O Once more, I hope you readers like long chapters! Think of it this way - if you do like this fanfic, then you just get that much more entertainment the longer my chapters are. If you don't like this fanfic, but you're reading it anyway, then... stinks to be you. Sorry.)


	5. The Big Race

"Hey mom! I'm gonna be staying after school most days, starting today! I'll see you later!" I was trying to get out of giving an explanation by telling her while she was still sleepy and when I had to hurry to get to school. But no dice.

"Wait, what! Do you have detentions already?" I was already half-way out the door, but I had to stop. Well, I didn't _have _to, really. But the dragon way wasn't exactly how I wanted to act all the time. At the very least, it would be troublesome to have mom run out after me in her pajamas while trying to figure out why I had to stay late after school.

I turned to face her. "No, mom. It's just this... club sort of thing." I was being to hesitant with my answer. No wonder I had been believed last night with my chara-change stunt; under normal circumstances, I couldn't lie worth a hoot.

"How am I supposed to believe you? Tell the truth - I can tell when you aren't saying everything." My mom replied.

I breathed inwardly through my teeth. "That's harsh mom. Real harsh. Calling your own daughter a liar, right after dad was falsely accusing me last night. Thanks for letting me know just how much you believe in me." That hit home. I could see that she was hurt at more or less being called a bad mother by her own daughter. I guess I had some cunning in me, even without my chara-change. "Listen, mom, it's just a club thing. If you want, call the school and ask if I have any detentions yet. That'll show them how much the teachers should trust me." This was meant her to keep her from calling - if she thought about how teachers might react to a mother asking if her daughter had any detentions after only one day of school, then maybe she wouldn't bother calling in the first place. I really didn't want her prying into my school life.

Seeing that she was kinda speechless at the points I was making, I seized the chance to leave. "Gotta go, or I'll be late for school! I'll see you later tonight!" I said, dashing down the sidewalk before she could call me back. I didn't slow down until I was about a block away. In truth, I had plenty of time to get to school. My mom just didn't need to know that. By my side, Azami flew through the air. I'd noticed that, whenever she was moving over a large distance or wanted to go fast, she always opened her wings and used them, despite the fact that she could float and fly without them. Of course, she looked way cooler when using her wings to fly through the air, so I didn't complain.

"Hey, Azami?" I asked, "would you please not tell any of the other guardians - or their charas - about my lack of ethics?"

"Why? A dragon never hides her true self from others. Others either accept her as she is, or leave. Or, on occasion, get killed in mysterious, fiery accidents. Why can't you let them know how you really feel?" said Azami. Her logic was impeccable, as always. Except perhaps the fiery death part.

"Because, I enjoy hanging out with them, but I'm afraid they might not like me if they know how I really am." Azami looked unconvinced, so I switched tactics. "Plus, didn't you say that dragons took pride in their skills at lying? Perhaps this won't be an outright lie, but it will definitely be practice for me at deception. Plus, if we ever want to join the other side, if there is another side a little less goody-goody, then we'll want the guardians to trust us. It would be to our advantage to not have them be wary of us now, when we haven't really done anything yet."

"Hmmph." said Ayami. If she were a real dragon, I bet smoke would've been coming out of her nostrils right now. "I don't like it, but you do have a point. Who knows, maybe I'll keep it a secret. Maybe I won't. It just depends on my..." She flew right in front of my face and flicked me on the nose with her tail before continuing, "...mood. It simply depends on what mood I'm in at any moment."

That was enough for me. Although I really couldn't be sure if she would tell or not, I was pretty sure she'd keep my secret. If not, there was nothing I could do to stop her. As she said before, a true dragon lives in the moment; there was no sense for me to be worrying about something that might not even happen.

When I was about four blocks away, I saw Nadeshiko in her guardian's cape turn onto the sidewalk a little ways in front of me. As if sensing my gaze, she turned around and waved, waiting for me to catch up. I ran ahead, glad for someone to talk to on the last few blocks to school.

"Hello, Miyuki-san. I see your guardian chara hatched!" Nadeshiko said, looking to Azami.

The little dragon chara folded her wings, smiled, and bobbed her head politely. "My name is Azami. Nice to meet you." Her formality surprised me. I'd thought she would be a bit more outspoken around others.

"Nice to meet you as well. I am Fujisaki Nadeshiko."

"And I'm Temari, her shugo chara. Also a pleasure to meet you." Said Temari from above Nadeshiko's shoulder. It reminded me almost exactly of their introductions from yesterday.

Nadeshiko and I continued walking, side by side. "I'd thought that your chara hatched last night, but I wasn't entirely sure until now." said Nadeshiko. This surprised me a bit. Could charas sense other charas hatching from that far away?

"How'd you know that she'd hatched, Nadeshiko-san?" I asked.

"Well..." she said, smiling with almost as much mischief showing as Azami usually did, "I just happened to be watching TV last night and saw a clip of a girl jumping off the top of a building, but walking away unharmed. I doubted that there were many girls in the area who look so much like you and could possibly survive a fall like that, so I guessed it was you and your chara had hatched. I'd suggest you don't get too bold in broad daylight - people might start to ask questions that you don't want to answer."

I blushed, and Azami spoke up from my side. "A true dragon doesn't care who sees her, as long as she's doing what she wants."

"Oh? Is that so?" said Nadeshiko, a friendly smile on her face. "Well, I would say that your name fits you, then."

"Hmm?" the little dragon chara wondered. "And how is that?"

"Azami is a rather traditional name, though I don't hear it used much anymore. It refers to the flower of a thistle, and is often used to symbolize defiance." explained Nadeshiko. She smiled again, making me think that it was the only expression she knew how to make. "I simply think it fits your attitude quite nicely, no offense intended. First your hitting Kiseki and Tadase in the heads, and then your reaction to the video."

"Perhaps it does fit me well. Maybe it doesn't." Said Azami, leaving the subject at that. By now, they'd made it up to the school doors.

Nadeshiko turned to me. 'It's been nice talking to you, but I really need to get to class now. I'll see you at lunch, Miyuki-san, Azami-san!"

"Yep! See you later!" I said back as we both headed to our respective classrooms. Though we were both in the same grade, the school was too big for all the fifth graders to be taught in the same room. Then again, it was smaller then some elementary schools I'd been to before.

* * *

Only when lunch time came did the rest of the guardians get to meet Azami. Hinamori Amu barely made it to class on time, so there was no good moment for introductions before class. Lunch was served in a large room on the ground floor of the school, where everyone ate at circular tables that were scattered around the room. Seven or eight people could seat themselves comfortably at a table, though a few had less than seven and many had more than eight. (that is, where groups of friends all wanted to be at the same table together, even is it meant no elbow room) Everyone had two choices, as far as lunch went - either the main lunch that the cafeteria served everyday (which actually didn't taste half bad), or you could bring your own. My mom had already put money into a lunch account for me, so I went up and grabbed the meal of the day: some sort of noodle dish with an okay tasting sauce on top. Nadeshiko caght my eye once I was through the lunch line, and waved me over to the guardian's table. I wasn't surprised to see that all the guardians sat at the same table together. It seemed to me that for a group of people who were supposed to do their best for the students, they were awfully distant from most of the student body. Of course, everyone adored the group. That was one thing I'd learned today. Every single person at the school had a 'favorite guardian': either Amu, with her 'cool and spicy' attitude; Tadase, the ultra-cute prince; Kukai, the fun-loving, athletic guardian; Yaya, the cute one witht the funny, baby-like character; or Nadeshiko, being so kind and beautiful. It amused me that I was now among the ranks of the guardians. Already, people knew that I had been invited to join them. I wondered if anyone was picking _me _as their favorite guardian. _Unlikely, _I thought to myself.

As soon as I sat down, Azami brought herself out from where she had been following behind my head. "Everyone," I said, with just a slight hint of pride to my voice. "This is my shugo chara, Azami. Azami, these are the guardians." Each of the guardians and their charas intoduced themselves, saying almost identical introductions to when they had introduced themselves to me. _Do they practice these introductions in front of the mirror at home or something?_ I couldn't help thinking.

Azami, for her part, didn't do her formal little greeting from before. Instead, she spread her wings and did a quick flight around the table before landing back on my head. Everyone watched as she circled, and I could only imagine how the guardians must have looked, so obviously watching something that no one else could see. _Well, perhaps anyone watching will just think we saw a fly or something,_ I reasoned. Ordinary people usually came up with mundane answers for things they couldn't see. Once Azami landed on my head, she simply flicked her tail and folded her wings. "Nice to meet all of you." She said, smiling.

_What a bipolar shugo chara._ I thought jokingly to myself. _When she's with me, she encourages me to jump off a building. When she's introducing herself to Nadeshiko and Temari, she's the model of politeness. Now, she's a big show-off. _Of course, I didn't mean this seriously. As she'd said so many times since hatching, a dragon does what she wants, when she wants. I guess that meant that she acted however she wanted to act as each situation came her way.

"Yaya saw you on TV last night!" Yaya burst out as soon as introductions were, talking to me.

"Are you talking about that girl that jumped off the roof?" asked Kukai. "I thought it looked a bit like Miyuki-san, but I thought I was seeing things."

"Yep yep! Yaya is sure it was Miyuki-chan! Right, Miyuki-chan?" asked Yaya. By now, everyone at the table was listening with rapt attention. Even the charas, who were normally having their own conversation as their humans talked and ate.

"Well..." I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Yeah. It was me." I admitted.

"Really?" asked Tadase. I had to admit, most of the girls in the school were on to something - Tadase was definitely cute. I really had very little interest in boys, but it was true. "Were you chara-changed?" he continued.

"Yeah. Azami and I were just having some fun..." I said, trailing off.

"So you jump off a building!?!" Kukai asked, laughing. "Well, I'll give you points for originality. I don't know anyone else who jumps off of buildings for fun!"

Kiseki strode forward. Like most of the other charas, he'd been sitting in the center of the circular table, where no one put their food. "Very impressive, commoner!" said the little king. "You shall definitely be useful in my search for the embryo! We will need..." Everyone around the table smiled at Kiseki's speech. Apparently, they'd heard it before.

Kiseki rambled on, not really paying attention to us as Azami floated down next to my ear. "Do you want to do it this time?" she whispered to me, "Or may I?"

I chuckled a bit and whispered out of the corner of my mouth. "You can do it. I'd feel like I was abusing my size if I did it."

"I say that you should use everything - even size - to your advantage. But very well. It'll be my pleasure." Azami said, a wicked grin on her face. As she opened her wings and swooped down, I suspected she was going to knock him over, like she had in her egg yesterday. But this was not the case. Her wings lent her speed as she swooped down and grabbed Kiseki's crown off of his head before zooming up in the air again, laughing.

Kiseki rose up into the air, outrage plain on his face. "How dare you take the royal crown, commoner! Give it back immediately or face the consequences!" Of course, consequences were the one thing Azami absolutely ignored.

Azami shook her head, her long violet-colored hair waving and her red horns faintly gleaming. "Catch me if you can, kiddy-king!" She said, before swooping off towards one end of the lunchroom. Kiseki zoomed off in pursuit, followed closely by the rest of the charas. All of the guardians, including me, laughed at their antics, though I noticed Tadase flinch at my chara's last taunt. I wondered what was wrong, but he joined in on the laughing quickly enough. We talked a bit the rest of lunch, while the rest of the chara's played keep away with Kiseki's crown. (though Miki joined Kiseki's efforts at trying to recover the crown, and Ran simply floated at the side of the game, cheering.) Though I had fun talking, I thought their might be more to that seemingly involuntary action by Tadase. I decided to bring it up later. Was there something really offensive with having your chara called a kiddy-king?

* * *

The rest of the day went fairly smoothly. The stuff we were learning in class at the moment was mainly stuff I already knew, and wasn't really a problem. As soon as school was out, I made my way out to the Royal Garden. I was starting to learn the names of some of the people in my class, so I said a quick goodbye to some of them. I tried to say it in a cool way, to try and fit my status as guardian. Already, I could see students treating me differently. People deffering to me to let me go in front of them in the line at the water fountains, and others whispering behind my back, saying how I was obviously a guardian due to how cool I was. That comment startled me, but I welcomed it. I'd been called cool a couple times before for my hair style, but never by the majority of the student body. It was definitely a kind of power, being admired by all the students in the school. And dragons had a thing for power.

By the time I made it to the garden (which really didn't take too long), everyone else was already gathered.

"Hey, hey, Miyuki-chan! We have a surprise for you!" said Yaya as I approached the table.

"What would that be?" I asked, intrigued. Azami floated by my side, just as curious. Nadeshiko held out her hands, which she had been hiding behind her back. Clasped between them was a red cape, just like the ones she and Yaya always wore.

"We just want you to try it on, to make sure it's not to big or small." explained Nadeshiko. "You won't officially get it until you're announced as a guardian next week." she handed it to me, and I tried it on. It fit perfectly. I really liked it. Personally, it really wasn't the most stylish garment around, but... but it did have a sense of power to it. Perhaps it was a bit outdated symbol of power, but it was a symbol of power nonetheless.

However, that was the only exciting part of today's guardian meeting. After I gave back my cape so that they could present it to me later, we went to sorting student files. While it may seem like one of the most boring tasks in the world, having the others around to laugh and joke around with helped. Of course, the charas abandoned us as soon as they saw what we were doing. Even Azami left with the others to do something more fun in the greenhouse.

(mainly third person point of view here)

"Wow, your wings are so cool desu~!" Said Suu. All the shugo charas had gathered over in one corner of the greenhouse, and were currently admiring the newest addition to their group.

"And... done!" Miki said, as he finished making the last few marks on his sketch. It was a picture of Azami, focusing mainly on her dragonish characteristics: her wings, tail, and horns stood out.

"Wow, Miki, that looks great!" said Azami. Now, the dragon was being really gracious. Of course, I guess even dragons enjoy flattery. Kiseki muttered something to himself a little ways away, still a bit angry after the crown incident at lunch.

"Ahh, tails and wings and horns aren't that great." said Daichi. He was getting just a tad bit annoyed at all the attention Azami was getting. "I mean, wings don't really help when we all can fly anyway. And the only other chara I know with a tail is that two-timing Yoru, and it has certainly not helped him. Just made him more mischievous, more than likely."

Now this caught Azami's attention. For one, she was curious as to what other shugo chara had a tail other than herself, seeing as none of the others here had such a thing. Secondly, she knew that Miyuki wanted to at least know who the evil people were. If the good-natured Daichi was calling someone two-timing, that had to imply that this 'Yoru' was evil. Or at least on the opposite side of ideals from these charas.

"Who's Yoru?" she asked, trying to make it sound like an innocent enough question.

"Nah, forget I mentioned him." Said Daichi. "I'd rather forget him."

"How about this," said the dragon chara. "If I beat you in a race around the garden, then you have to tell me everything about this Yoru. But if you win, I'll quit showing off. Deal?"

Daichi, who was both annoyed at the showing off as well as a very competetive chara, leaped at the opportunity. "Deal. What'll be the course?"

Of course, the charas (being the silly, hyperactive little charas they were) couldn't come up with a simple race track, like flying a few times around the perimeter of the greenhouse. No. They couldn't do something nearly as simple as that. They came up with the most complex race course they could, filled with all sorts of twists, turns, and loops around people and plants. As soon as the track was decided, Pepe grabbed a miniature green flag to begin the race (though where he got the flag, the world may never know). The other charas stationed themselves at various parts of the garden so that the entire race could be seen. Ran positioned herself at the center of the garden, so that she could cheer them both on at whatever stage of the race they were in. The two competetors lined up side by side at one corner of the greenhouse, with Pepe posed in front of them to drop the flag and begin the race.

"On your marks!" said Pepe through his pacifier.

"Get set..."

"GO!"

The two charas were off before the flag even hit the ground. (which is saying something, since it was only a couple inches off the ground to begin with) Azami was able to easily get and keep the lead at first. Despite the fact that all charas can fly, her wings really _did _speed her up quite nicely. However, during one of the tight turns around a plant, she clipped her right wing on a leaf and lost a lot of ground as she got her balance back. They stayed in this way, with Daichi in the lead, for only a little while before Daichi took a wrong turn. As all the observing charas shouted at him to get back on track, Azami (who is a good bit more intelligent than Daichi, though not quite as purely athletic) took the lead. This slip-up by Daichi was enough for the dragon chara to keep the lead all the way to the end, finishing a full foot in front of Daichi. (when you're only a couple inches tall yourself, a foot is quite a large measurement)

Wiping some sweat off his forehead, the athletic little chara capitulated. "All right, all right," he said as he collapsed to the ground. "Your wings have some speed to them, I'll admit that."

Azami lowered herself gracefully to the ground and sat down, hiding most of her exhaustion. It had actually been a really tough race. "So?" she said, as the rest of the charas gathered around. "Who's Yoru?"

"Yoru is a thieving little cat, the chara of someone named Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Ikuto used to go to this school, and Tadase and him were really close. But then Ikuto and Yoru betrayed us. He took the Dumpty Key and joined up with Easter." explained Daichi.

"Those traitors..." Muttered Kiseki under his breath.

"Wait a minute..." said Azami. "What's the Dumpty Key? And Easter, for that matter?" Now she was getting to the heart of the matter. Betrayal definitely sounded like it had to do with bad guys.

"The Dumpty Key," Miki continued on for Daichi, "Is sort of part of a set, with the Humpty Lock the Amu-chan always wears around her neck. Here, I'll show you." She grabbed out her pad and pencil and did a quick but detailed sketch of both items. "It's the Humpty Lock that allows Amu-chan to chara-nari with us."

_We could use something like that. A power boost to lets us chara-nari together. _Thought Azami, though she obviously didn't say so aloud. She recalled how Miyuki had asked if they could chara-nari the other day. At time, Azami had answered no. She didn't know how or when they would chara-nari, if they could do it at all. Maybe they needed an item like the Humpty Lock or the Dumpty Key.

"So what's Easter, then?" Azami asked.

"Easter is our sworn enemy!" Said Kiseki vehemently. This was exactly what Azami was looking for - a sworn enemy. "We think the Easter company is the cause of the increase in X-eggs recently! They try and take away people's dreams in search of the embryo!"

"What do they want with the embryo?" Azami asked.

Kiseki shook his head. "We haven't the slightest idea. But there is no way we can let them have it! I need the embryo for world domination!"

"Guys!" shouted Kukai's voice from the entrance of the greenhouse, interrupting their conversation. "We're leaving for the day! Do you guys want to be locked in here, or what?" The charas joined their respective humans as they left the greenhouse.

(back to first person P.O.V.)

It was on our way back that Azami told me all that she had learned. Later that night, after I finished my homework, we discussed the matter. We both decided that we wanted to check it out - usually, the villains in a story are a lot more interesting than the good guys. Plus, they can usually offer a lot more power, which seemed true so far. I didn't think of it so much as betrayal. It was more like just something I had to do. It was part of my character to veer from the normal course, and part of my would-be character to search for power. I looked up Easter on the internet - it turned out that it was a huge company, practically monopolizing many different industries. I found out that the most popular Japanese singer at the moment, Hoshina Utau, was working under them. I wondered if perhaps she knew who she was affiliating herself with, or if she was just another one of Easter's ways of getting revenue.

Then Azami and me debated when we should go check the place out. I had determined through my internet seaches the location of Easter's main headquarters, which turned out to be not too far away, in the main commercial area of the city. I said that we should wait til the weekend, but Azami argued that if it _was _a corporation, then they might not be open then. Of course, unless I skipped school (which I'll emphasize that I did NOT want to do, considering that I didn't want to get booted out of Seiyo Academy), there would be no way for me to get there before work hours ended. In the end, we decided to wait until the weekend, as I had suggested. Our reasoning being that if it really was an evil corporation, neither of us thought that villains took weekends off.

And now, what would hopefully the fun part of my adventure could begin. From the beginning, I knew I'd wanted power. Hopefully, Easter could offer it. If not, well... I decided not to think about it. As Azami kept on impressing upon me, a real dragon is supposed to live only in the present.

* * *

Thanks to everyone, especially my newest reviewer/favoriter, Kitty Obsessive Disorder. (by the way, love the name.) Thanks for your positive and in-depth review! I'm glad to hear you like it! I always worry that I put too much detail in, and that people might not like my stories because of that. So I was happy to hear that you didn't mind.

As always, please review! I don't care if it's a negative or a positive review - all I need are some writing tips, if you can give them!


	6. The First Cut Really IS the Deepest

(due to the fact that I didn't make this clear earlier, let me clarify on what day it is in the story. Monday was the day I got my uniform for Seiyo and the day I made the wish. Tuesday was my first day of school at Seiyo, when I found my egg, met the guardians, and when Azami hatched later that evening. Wednesday was 'The Big Race,' and now today is Thursday! And just a forwarning, I won't necessarily go day by day later on in the fan fic, but I'll keep you updated on how much time passes if I do skip longer periods of time. Also, just so you know, you may see a scene very similar to one from the anime, as in the scene with Hinamori and class at the high jump. It's not the same scene. We're just learning how to high jump in P.E. class in this fanfic.)

* * *

"Aww, great. The high jump. Do you think you can give me some help, Azami?" I whispered. Right now, all the fifth graders in my class were sitting on the ground in front of the high jump. Our P.E. teacher was busy explaining exactly the best way to high jump, as well as how high-jumping worked in competition. Over to our right, some fourth graders were trying their best at the horizontal bar, though it appeared only a couple could do it, and even they did it badly. Behind us, on the track, a sixth grade class was practicing for the mile. Unsurprisingly, Kukai was among the top runners.

"Sorry." replied Azami. "You've gotta do some things for yourself. Including the high jump." she smiled wickedly. I think she was actually going to enjoy watching me fail. Then again, it probably would be kinda funny. Knowing me, I'd probably just end up getting stuck on the bar. Somehow.

Next to me, Hinamori looked up to Ran, her athletic Shugo Chara. "Will you give me some help?" she whispered. Though we were sitting at the back of the class, we still didn't want to be caught talking to something no one else could see.

"Nope! Azami's right - you guys should do it yourself once in a while! Do your best!" Ran replied cheerily.

Amu sighed. "Figures."

Now, the class was starting to line up. Since we had been sitting in the back of group, we managed to get at the back of the line as well. Maybe, if we were lucky, then we'd have to go back to class before the line actually got to us. Amu and I chatted a bit as the line moved slowly forward. After each person jumped, the teacher would give them tips, then make them jump again until they got it right. When about five people were left to jump before me, I saw my chara stiffen. Out of the corner of my eye, I also noticed the surprise of Amu's three charas.

"I sense something, Miyuki-chan." Said Azami.

Hinamori grabbed my arm and spun me to face her, whispering, "My charas sense an X-egg! I've gotta go!"

"I want to go with you!" I said.

"Well..." Hinamori started. "It'll look kinda weird if we both ask to go to the bathroom. Unless you can think of a better excuse."

I felt a pain in my right arm at that moment. I looked down to see a set of long and deep little scratches in the soft underside of my arm, running parallel to each other. The marks were very, very thing, and I saw Azami next to my arm, smiling wickedly. Despite the small size of my dragon chara, she still packed quite a scratch attack with those little fingernails of hers. Already, after only a few seconds, a little rivulet of blood was beginning to trickle down my arm. That's how deep she'd managed to cut me.

"What was that for?" I whispered angrily. Hopefully, no one else was paying any attention to me.

She didn't answer. Instead, I felt a chara change come on. Amu, who had been looking concernedly at my arm, now noticed the change and watched to see what I would do.

"Sensei!" I called out, the chara-change guiding my actions. "I just cut myself kinda badly, but I don't know how. See?" I showed him my arm with blood trickling down it, proving that I wasn't lying. "Could Hinamori-san escort me to the office? The blood is making me feel..." I partially shut my eyes for a moment and breathed deeply in, as if trying to get a hold of myself. "...makes me feel funny." I finished as the chara-change ended. The kids in front of me in line backed off, though whether grossed out or afraid of the blood I didn't know.

"Aah, umm, yes, both of you may go... just keep away from me!" said the PE teacher. It was obvious that he had some sort of fear of blood. Funny for a PE teacher, who probably has to deal with cuts and scrapes all the time, to be afraid of blood. Amu and I dashed (with me obviously not bothered too much by the 'funny feeling' I had faked earlier) off in the direction of the school, which just so happened to be the direction that the charas sensed the X-egg coming from. As we rounded the corner to make it to the front side of the school, Kukai stepped out from behind the corner.

"Come on!" He said. "You guys take too long! I asked to go to the bathroom as soon as Daichi sensed the X-egg. Now let's go!" He dashed off, pulling Amu by one arm and me the other, not realizing that he was grabbing around my arm where I was bleeding. It hurt, and I felt the flow of blood increase as his firm grasp applied pressure to it.

"Ouch! Kukai, let go! Please!" Kukai slowed down and let go, shocked by the small amount of desperation in my voice. Only then did he realize that his hand was covered in blood. My blood.

"What happened, Miyuki?" He asked, too shocked to remember to put the '-san' on the end. He wiped his hand on the grass to get rid of the blood, though his hand retained a bit of a pinkish tint.

I grabbed my wound and tried to cover it with one hand, hoping to stop the flow of blood. The blood just kept on coming, the flow stronger thanks to Kukai. _Azami really can cut deeply. _I thought. _These little scratches are almost as deep as knife wounds. _By now, most of my arm was smeared with blood, and a steady stream of it trickled down my arm. "This was Azami's idea of getting both Amu-san and me out of gym class." I told Kukai. My vision swam for a moment, but the feeling left quickly. I didn't want to worry Kukai or Amu, so I didn't mention it. "Anyway," I continued, "Let's find that X-egg!"

I took the lead, running past the front main entrance of the school without even noticing who was coming out of the doors.

"Ah? Mizuki-san is that you?" There was only one person in the world who called me Mizuki-san. Nikaido.

"Oh, and Himamori-san and Kukai-san. What a surprise! I was just coming out to get the rest of my class. What are you three doing out here?" He finished as Amu and Kukai stopped in front of the door. I had run a few feet past the front door in my rush to get to the X-egg, so I backtracked.

"We were... uhh..." Amu stammered.

"You see, Miyuki-san hurt herself," explained Kukai, "And Amu-san was escorting her to the nurses office. I was on the way to the bathroom, so I decided to come with them and make sure Miyuki-san got to the office alright."

"Oh? Is that so?" said Nikaido said, apparently ignoring the fact that I had run straight past the doors of the school before. "Well, please be careful. We wouldn't want you getting hurt, would we, Miyuki-san?" Nikaido said as he walked off towards the sports fields. It seemed like that last question might have had more of a... double meaning to it, but I didn't think about it too much. We ducked in the doorway until we thought he was far enough away that he wouldn't turn back and see us, then ran to the other side of the school. There, sitting dejectedly with her back against a tree was someone that I recognized from Kukai's grade.

"Imari! Are you okay?" asked Kukai. "We're supposed to be running the mile! What are you doing over here?"

"I just can't run." said the girl, Imari, unexpressively. "I love to run, but I can't. My asthma takes away all my breath, and all I can focus on is trying to breathe. I'll never be able to run..."

"Kukai, look!" Dachi said, pointing to the area above Imari's head. There, floating darkly, was an X-egg. This was my first time seeing an X-egg, and my first thought was that it was aptly named. It was basically just a black egg - though it was a dull black, unlike the sleek black of Azami's own egg - with a big white 'X' on it.

Suddenly, the X-egg took off, flying off a little ways and facing us warily.

"Useless!" It said.

Kukai turned to Amu, who nodded in recognition of some unspoken understanding.

"My own heart!" said Amu, making some odd motion with her hands, "Unlock!" Suddenly, her body began to glow, so bright that I couldn't look directly at her. I noticed Ran enthusiastically float down in front of Amu, waving her pom-poms before her egg (a pink one covered with hearts) appeared and closed around her. While still averting my eyes somewhat, I saw Amu reach out and actually bring the egg into herself, before the light dissipated. Amu looked totally different than before. Now Amu was wearing a pink, cutsie cheerleader outfit, complete with pom-poms, a long red ribbon, and a visor with a large heart pin on it. It actually didn't look too bad on her, though I have an inborn dislike of anything that pink and girly.

"Chara-nari: Amulet Heart!" she finished, looking ready for a battle. The egg, looking a bit intimidated, flew off in the other direction.

As Amu dashed off to follow it, Kukai shouted out to her. "Try and drive it this way! Me and Miyuki will try and corner it against the wall!" He shouted. Amu gave a shout of recognition before jumping into the air. High. Very high. I really couldn't believe it: Amu was flying! What I wouldn't give to chara-nari with Azami so I could do the same! Though I'd lost sight of the egg, Amu sped up high in the air, apparently intent on getting in front of it.

"You might want to chara-change." Kukai said to me, watching Amu's pursuit of the X-egg. I turned to him, and noticed that he had a little star in his hair. Exactly like the one Daichi had on his headband. I guessed he had already chara-changed.

I looked over to my own chara, and she nodded. I felt the familiar sensation of the chara-change come on as my eyes and necklace turned red once again. Kukai looked to me and noticed my chara-change, though didn't comment. By now, Amu was already chasing the egg back this way. The little X-egg seemed to be panicking from being chased, and was staying close to the wall, coming straight towards Kukai and myself.

"Okay, here's the game plan." Kukai said as the egg sped towards us. "I'll stop it from coming any farther in this direction. You move a little ways from the wall and keep it from leaving that way. Then, with Amu following it from the other direction and its other escape route blocked by a wall, there will be no way it can escape. Got it?"

Me, being in my dragonish chara-change, simply ran in the direction he had told me. "Maybe!" I shouted back. It was a good thing that I was feeling like an obedient dragon at the moment, seeing as if I hadn't been in the mood to take orders, I woudn't have.

I was barely in my position when the egg flew blindly towards Kukai. He tried to jump up and kick it towards Amu, but the egg swerved just in time and headed in my direction. As it flew at top-speed towards me, I simply stood and glared at it with my red eyes, trying to put power into my stare. About ten feet away, the egg noticed me and slid to a complete stop about five feet away from me.

"Use... less...?" It said, trembling slightly. I had it transfixed in an evil glare, and it seemed afraid. As it should be.

"Move away from it so I can purify it!" shouted Amu. I tore my evil gaze from it and dashed towards Kukai. Before the egg could recover its senses, Amu had started her purification.

"Negative heart! Lock on!" She said, making a vague heart shape with her hands. Waves of light spilled from her hands, engulfing the little black egg. The egg gave one last cry of "Useless!" before reverting to what I guessed was the form of a normal egg of the heart - a cream colored egg with a little symbol on the front. The egg floated back to it's owner, then seemed to sink into the girl's chest. The girl, Imari, slumped down as if she had passed out.

Amu changed back into her original form, while mine and Kukai's chara-changes faded. As soon as the power stopped coursing through my veins, stars danced before my eyes. I looked down to my arm to see that the bleeding had increased again, due to my running to and from my designated spot for egg-capture. Not only that, but it looked like the claw marks were widening. _Great, _I thought, _Do dragons have poisoned claws or something? Because those little scratches shouldn't be bleeding this much, even if they were deep. _It wasn't bleeding enough that I thought I was gonna die or anything, but it was enough that I was starting to feel light-headed from it. But I didn't say anything - I'm a prideful girl, and whining about a little blood was completely un-dragonish. Azami saw my wound and actually looked concerned, but said nothing.

Kukai ran over to Imari, with Amu following close behind. I reluctantly followed, jogging slowly as I felt more blood pump out of my body. Kukai shook Imari roughly, waking her up as he and Amu crouched down next to her.

"Huh...?" Imari said as she looked around, sleepily. "What happened? Why am I here? And why are you here, Souma-kun?"

Kukai gave her an encouraging smile. "We saw you come over here while we were on our way into the school, and we wanted to make sure you were okay. But you know, if you really love running, you should never just quit. Even if it's hard, if it's something you like, then you should keep at it. Got it?"

"Uhh... yeah. Thanks!" Imari said, perhaps surprised that Kukai had know so well what was troubling her. "Now... should we get back to class?"

"Ah! You're right!" said Amu. "I don't want to get a detention for being late to class! Let's go, Kukai-kun, Miyuki-san!" Amu and Kukai turned around as Imari got up from where she had been sitting. It was only then that they noticed that I wasn't acting right. My vision was darkening around the edges, and I could feel myself swaying. My ears started ringing, tuning out the concerned calls of Kukai and Amu. I tried to tell them that I was fine, that they didn't need to worry, but it came out more as a mumbled slur. I even saw Azami calling out to me out of the corner of my eye, but I could hear nothing over the ring in my ears, and her actions seemed to be in slow motion. Finally, after a period of time that could've lasted anywhere from a few seconds to solid minutes, I blacked out.

(Third person P.O.V.)

"Miyuki-san" shouted Amu, kneeling down beside Miyuki's limp body. She had just suddenly collapsed, and Amu didn't know what to do. Amu remembered the cuts Miyuki had, and flipped her arm over to check. To her surprise and slight disgust, a solid flow of blood was now coming from the scratches. She looked up to Kukai and Imari who were standing around Miyuki, speechless.

"Come on, Kukai! We need to get Miyuki for the nurse! I think she's lost too much blood!" said Amu. Azami flew down to Miyuki's arm, looking at the cuts with a strange mixture of worry and pride on her face. Mostly pride, though. She liked to know that, even as a little chara, she could do this much damage.

"Oh - Right! I think I can carry her!" Kukai said. He was the strongest of the three people surrounding Miyuki, as well as a being taller than her, due to his age. With some effort, he managed to pick up her limp body in his arms, carrying her as a prince might carry a princess. He ran towards the school, with Imari and Amu at his side. He ignored the blood that was getting on his P.E. uniform, focusing only on getting Miyuki to the nurse as quickly as possible. Imari and Amu held open the doors for him as he ran inside the school, heading for the nurse's office that wasn't too far away.

He pushed open the door with his back and barged into the room, shouting, "Please, my friend Miyuki just passed out outside. She's lost a lot of blood. Can you help?" The nurse was shocked. Normally, incidents at a school were minor. Sometimes little cuts and scraped, but nothing that bled this much. Every now and then she had to deal with broken bones, but the young girl nurse hadn't seen something like this at a school before. By now, Amu and Imari were standing behind Kukai, both with looks of worry on their faces.

"Could you please set her on the bed over there, and leave the room? I'll need some room to work, and you all need to get back to class." instructed the nurse. "Can you show me the wound, and what caused it?"

Amu pointed out the scratches on Miyuki's arm once she had been laid on the table, but said that she didn't know what the scratches were from. The nurse looked suspicious, but quickly shooed the three people out of the room so that she could properly bandage up the arm. Imari, Amu, and Kukai took one last look at Miyuki's pale face before reluctantly going back to class, wondering if Miyuki would be okay.

* * *

Ah-ha-ha-ha! Don't you just _love _cliffies? I'm sorry, but I get wicked enjoyment out of putting my main and supporting characters through situations like this. Be expecting more in the future. (this wicked enjoyment might explain the lack of morals in Miyuki....)

Anyway, thanks for another review from Kitty Obsessive Disorder! As always, glad you're still enjoying it! And to everyone else who reads this, please review!


	7. The Cat and the Kiddy King

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I didn't want to get up. I mean, I'd been having such a nice nap. But the light above me was glaring down on me, and I could never sleep for long if the light was on. I was a bit shocked to see that I wasn't in my room. I tried to push myself up into a sitting position using my arms, but my right arm trembeled and I fell back to the bed with a soft _thump._

"Oh, are you awake? How are you feeling?" I turned my head to see a young nurse walking up to me. Judging by the size and look of the room, I guessed I was in the school infirmary. Or whatever you want to call it. I took a quick look at my right forearm and saw that it was wrapped tightly in some guaze. I tried to think back to how I had hurt it.

_That's right! _I thought. _That darn Azami scratched me! Where is she - I'm not sure if I want to ring her little neck or be impressed. _Answering the nurse's question, I said, "I'm feeling fine, but I can't put any weight on my arm. Do you think I could leave soon?"

The nurse smiled. "I'm glad to hear you're feeling fine, and you can leave in just a minute. School just got out about ten minutes ago, so you'd been sleeping for a good couple of hours. You lost a good bit of blood, but it wasn't enough to make you pass out by itself. I thought that maybe you'd got excited or worried about something, and then that in addition to the loss of blood caused you to pass out. I understand you were about to high jump. I wonder if you were worried about that and you just got so worked up that you passed out?" suggested the nurse. Of course, I had been worked up by the whole X-egg thing, but I couldn't tell the nurse know that, so I just remained quiet. The nurse continued. "Anyway, those were_ some_ cuts. So incredibly tiny, but deep and long. Not to mention, the blood that was flowing out of the wound wouldn't coagulate."

"Coagu-what?" I asked.

"Coagulate." said the nurse. "It means the blood wouldn't scab up, which meant that more and more blood kept coming. Seeing as you don't have any records of that kind of problem on your medical file, did you perhaps get some sort of chemical in it? I'm really quite curious as to how you got that cut. Did you maybe brush up against a poisonous plant?"

She looked at me scrutinizingly as I replied. "Well... umm... I'm not really sure. I guess that's what happened. And I was kinda nervous about making the high-jump, too." If this nurse had gone to the trouble of thinking of ways to explain my cuts, who was I to tell her she was wrong? As I had said before, ordinary people come up with mundane answers to things they can't see or understand.

She seemed unconvinced, but said no more on the cause of the injury. She started on another topic. "I called your parents-"

"You WHAT?" I asked. I didn't want them knowing this - they would probably never let me out of their sight again.

"-but neither of them were home at the time, and the answering machine was full." finished the nurse, amused at my reaction. _Some good luck, for once. I'm just glad they don't know._

The nurse gave me some guaze, with the instruction to re-wrap my injury if the wrapping on it now fell off. She also told me to come in as soon as I got to school the next morning, so that she could have another look at it. Until then, she wanted me to take it easy, not put any stress on my right arm, and to always have someone with me in case I passed out again.

"But who's supposed to be with me right now, if you're letting me leave?" I asked. _She _wasn't going to come with me, was she?

"Don't worry: just go out the door and I think you'll be in for quite the surprise." replied the nurse.

Curious as always, I wanted to see what the surprise was. Guaze in hand, I opened the door to see all of the guardians lounging about in the hallway. As soon as I opened the door, they got up from their previous positions and crowded around me.

"Are you all right?" asked Tadase.

"What really happened?" asked Pepe.

"Well, you certainly know how to keep standing 'til the end, I'll give you that!" Said Kukai, laughing.

The nurse, who had stepped into the hallway behind me, quieted them down. "I want you guys to make sure that someone is with Miyuki-san at all times, got it? And since I can't get a hold of her parents, maked sure she has an escort on the way back from school today and to school tomorrow, all right?" I rolled my eyes, thinking this was massively unnecessary, but everyone gave the affirmative before the nurse withdrew back into the room, closing the door behind her.

It was now that I saw Azami out of the corner of my eye, floating defiantly behind the rest of the guardians. She had a smile on her face - mixed partially with happiness to see me, and also with a cruel delight in her eyes at the amount of damage she had inflicted. As soon as everyone saw who I was looking at, they separated to create a pathway for the little dragon to float to me. She did so, not looking ashamed in the least. Everyone else remained quiet, tensely watching what I would do.

"You know," I said, purposefully imitating the quiet accusing demeanor my father had used on me the other night. "the nurse said my cut was kinda strange. Of course, she was amazed at how deep they were, but it was something more than that. She said that there was something in it - a venom, you might say - that kept the blood from scabbing up. That meant that I just kept on bleeding until I passed out. You wouldn't know something about this, would you?" Of course, the one difference between my father and myself is that while he had been serious, I was totally playing. I couldn't stay angry long at Azami for something like this. Not with that gleeful smile on her face. It also didn't help that I probably liked having the power to hurt just as much as she did, since she was more or less just an extension of me. My serious expression cracked as I finished my accusation, and I smiled.

This was the only confirmation Azami needed to see to know that she didn't need to worm her way out of punishment. She opened her wings and soared around my head a few times, flicking me in the forehead with her tail and saying "I didn't know about it until today! If I had, you _know _I would have bragged about it more."

I playfully tried to grab her, but she flew out of my reach, laughing. I chased her, ignoring protests from Tadase and Nadeshiko, both saying that I should take it easy. I ignored them, though realized it wasn't bad advice when my vision started blacking out after a less than a minute of running. I stopped moving, closed my eyes, and when I opened my eyes again, I was more or less back to normal.

"Yaya know what will make you feel better!" said Yaya after she had recovered. "COOKIES!" And so, the guardians made their way to the Royal Garden. Some of the people who were still hanging around the school watched us as we went. Apparently, the fact that I had passed out had already been told to the whole school, and rumors were already circling.

As we were dining on cookies and scones, I asked on a whim, "So why do people call you a prince, Tadase-kun?"

I looked over at Tadase, who was clenching his fists and looking down at the table. The little crown appeared on his head, and he jumped up, pointing at me accusingly.

"I am no prince. I am a king! Address your king correctly, commoner! You will all listen to me! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!" Tadase closed his eyes and laughed his evil, world-domination laugh. Azami started to fly from my shoulder to Tadase, but I caught her by the tail. She hung from my hand, arms crossed, not bothering to struggle.

"What was that for?" she asked. Tadase continued to laugh in the background.

"As much as I know you want to, no claws. Okay?" I said.

Azami grumbled a bit. "Fine. Just let me down!" Just as I let her down, Tadase's crown disappeared. He noticed what he was doing and sat down meekly.

"Sorry about that..." Tadase said, eyes averted downward. While the rest of us laugh, Kiseki went up to him.

"A king is never sorry! The commoners should beg your forgiveness for laughing at you!" said Kiseki. _Sounds a bit like Azami. _I thought. _A dragon never does this. A king never does that. Maybe I'm more like Tadase than I realize. _

As if sensing my thoughts, my chara floated up to my ear and whispered, "Do you remember those fiery accidents I was talking about? If you fall in love with Tadase, don't be surprised if you learn first-hand what those are like." Of course, the threat was said jokingly. If she killed me, then she would die, too. But I got the message. She didn't want Azami x Kiseki to happen. I could understand that.

* * *

To Azami's annoyance, it was Tadase that walked me home after all of us decided it was time to go home. We conversed normally for the first half of the walk home - we talked about our different teachers, the events of the day, etc. Kiseki and Azami, for their part, listened but did not talk. They were still pretty angry at each other. The tension between them was less pronounced when around all the other charas, but when they were the only two around, it practically made the air sizzle.

It was when we were about four blocks away from my house that I brought up the subject that had been on my mind the past day or so.

"Was it wrong for Azami to call Kiseki a kiddy-king yesterday?" Tadase covered up his flinch at the name better this time, but it was still noticeable.

"No, it was fine." Tadase replied, with Kiseki giving a quick shout of annoyance behind him. I sensed more than saw Azami stick her tongue out at Kiseki, taunting him.

"But..." Tadase trailed off.

"But what?" I asked.

A look of anger entered Tadase's eyes, though he kept the rest of his face composed. "That's what Tsukiyomi Ikuto, a traitor to the guardians, calls me. He does it to taunt me."

"Azami told me about Ikuto." I said as the chara in question chased Kiseki around, brandishing her dangerous claws. "She'd learned about him from the other charas. She said that he took something called the Dumpty Key, I guess. And that it was a pair with Amu's lock that she wears around her neck."

"Azami was right, then." Tadase replied. "The first king's chair of the guardians had left the Dumpty Key and Humpty Lock with the guardians. He had told us to simply keep the Dumpty Key, and to give the Humpty Lock to a person with three charas. That turned out to be Hinamori-san."

It was about at this point that we made it to my house. I thanked Tadase before heading inside. Both of our charas were fuming with anger - Kiseki was angry at Azami for chasing him around, and Azami was angry because Kiseki kept on calling her a commoner even when she was chasing him around. It was for this reason that neither sensed the chara on top of a nearby roof. A surprisingly cat-like chara. Nor did either Tadase or I notice the cat-like boy - complete with tail and ears - perched on the nearby roof as well.

The cat-chara chuckled. "That chara looks fun! She certainly knows how to deal with that annoying Kiseki, nya~!

"Yes... they do look like an interesting couple." answered the teen, who could be only one person:

Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

* * *

Wow, first my chapters keep getting longer, then they start getting shorter... oh well. I guess it just depends on my mood. I probably could've put this chapter and the last one together, but I like cliffies.

Thanks to Water Ichigo-chan for favoriting and reviewing! And yes, I know. Azami _does _rule. lol...

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but please review! Also, if you haven't figured it out yet, this will probably be a long fanfic. I don't know how long, cause I really don't know what's going to happen. Seriously, I don't. I'm simply going with the flow~ I've got got vague ideas of what will happen in the next couple days of the fanfic, as well as even vaguer ideas of what might happen farther on, but other than that, nothing. It's a lot more fun for me to write that way, so that even I don't know what will happen next.


	8. Planetarium, Prediction, and a Pussycat

Finally. Friday. It's not like the week hadn't been fun, but definitely very eventful. Plus, it was this weekend that I had decided to go to Easter. That would be exciting. For now, I focused on keeping my wound hidden from my parents. When I had arrived home last night, I was glad to see that neither my mom or my dad was home. My dad had still been at work, and I found out later that my mom had been out shopping. Of course, they wouldn't have seen the wrapping under my long-sleeve uniform jacket. But I had played it safe and stayed in my room for most of the rest of the night, just in case they noticed how weak that arm still was.

But now, today was Friday. I was surprised to see Nadeshiko waiting outside the front door of my house when I walked out, but then remembered how I was supposed to have someone with me at all times. Still, I hadn't thought that the guardians would take it this seriously - someone actually coming over to my house to walk with me to school. We chatted for a bit about anything that came to mind. Even Temari and Azami talked, which surprised me. I wouldn't have thought that Azami would like anyone who acted like Temari: quiet, polite, and all-together unexciting. _Perhaps there's more to Temari - and Nadeshiko, for that matter - than meets the eye. _

We had left with plenty of time, so getting to the nurse's office before school was no problem at all. She took off for the bandages, making this the first time I could actually see the scratches since passing out. It didn't look like it was healing quite right, to me. Maybe it was the venom, or maybe it was the fact that the cuts hadn't been open to the air. Whatever the case was, it didn't look too good - the scratches looked all gooey and oozy, and weren't scabbing up as I thought they should. However, the nurse said they were healing nicely. She put new bandages on it and told me to keep those on until this afternoon, when I would need to come see her again after school. Nadeshiko and I both left for our respective classes after that, with me thanking the heavens that this school had jackets with the uniform. I even got a note from the nurse excusing me from gym class, which meant that I wouldn't have to change into my short-sleeve P.E. uniform. Whenever I rounded a corner or entered a room, everyone looked at me expectantly. Either they thought I was going to pass out again, or they wanted to see the infamous wound. I was amazed at how good this school was at running a rumor mill - I actually heard somone say that I had been mauled by a tiger, but had fought it off and come to school anyway. Never, at any of my previous schools, were rumors quite that outlandish.

That morning, during class, a girl came up to me during study hall. I'd found out by now that Nikaido-sensei always allowed a ten-minute study hall before lunch. But us students could only talk if we were helping each other on assignments. Which is one reason I was surprised - though I already knew most of the material we were covering, I didn't think that anyone else knew that. Normally, someone who has just transferred and is trying to catch up with work wasn't the best person to ask for help on an assignment. Not to mention, I was now one of the untouchable guardians. Though not official yet, everyone knew it. Most people didn't just 'come up' to a guardian to ask for help. Perhaps she was just trying to get a glimpse of my scratch. As I saw her coming, I made sure it was hidden completely by my sleeve.

"Umm..." said the girl. She looked nervous, and Azami laughed at the girl's hesitancy. But she couldn't hear that. "Umm... I'd noticed that whenever sensei picks you in math to answer a problem, you always get it right, so... do you think you could help me understand this?" So that was how she knew I knew how to do it. It was true that Nikaido had called on me quite a bit; I had figured he was just testing me to make sure the new kid was understanding everything. Even when I had learned this the first time, I had thought it was pretty easy. I normally understood things easily without working too hard at it. I helped the girl (who introduced herself as Mai) out with a couple problems, though I had to slow down at some parts that I took for granted as basic math knowledge. She seemed to be understanding it better by the time study hall ended, and so my dubbed title as a guardian started to spread around the school. Each of the guardians had their own dub: 'prince' Tadase, 'cool and spicy' Hinamori, etc. I had already been called strong, due to yesterday's events - everyone was saying that even though the wound had made me pass out, I hadn't even seemed bothered by it when I asked to leave to go to the nurse. And now, with that one little instance of helping, I got the other part of my title: smart. So now, I was "strong and smart" Yamada Miyuki. With the title came a feeling of power: I felt like more people respected me because of it.

In addition to that, the girl asking for help turned out to be my break to start socializing with people other than the guardians. Before now, everyone had been wary of me: first as the new kid with weird hair, then as the newest guardian. But since they had seen me help another student (not to mention, a rumor quickly spread that I was teaching the entire class), they seemed more open to contact with me. More people asked me for help, and I in turn started talking to more people than just the guardians.

* * *

There was no guardian meeting after school that day. Nadeshiko had explained this morning that they normally didn't have any meetings on Fridays. After school I went to the nurse, who took off the bandaging and said that I should be okay without it from now on. I still thought it looked rather bad, but didn't argue. I went outside and walked over to the rest of the guardians, who were talking in a group in the front of the school. Although we talked for a little bit, everyone else soon left to go home for the weekend. And yet, I couldn't bring myself to leave. There was really nothing exciting for me to do at home, so it's not like my motivation was very good to get home and sit in my room all night. Plus, after staying in the garden after school all week, it felt wrong to leave the school so early. Instead, I decided to wander the grounds for a bit. I stayed off the paths through the trees, just trying to find anything interesting. Normally, all schools had something cool that no one else knew about. In this case, I was looking for something that maybe no one else would've found - a great climbing tree, perhaps, or maybe a dead tree with a completely hollow trunk. We did manage to find a tree that I thought looked like a dragon from a distance, but Azami just said I had an over-active imagination. Which I do. If I didn't, Azami probably wouldn't have been born.

Perhaps a tree that looked a bit like a dragon wasn't all that exciting, but the next thing we found was. It was a large, domed building that sat secluded on one corner of the school's massive grounds. It was surrounded by trees and kinda hard to find, so I wondered if maybe Amu hadn't even known about it. She had certainly forgot to mention it on their tour. Though the open gate had a chain across it, I disregarded it and headed straight up to the big double doors.

"Do you have any guess as to what this place could be?" I asked Azami.

She shrugged. "I haven't a clue. But let's find out." Without another word, I pushed open one of the doors and walked inside, mouth agape. A projector in the center of the room was displaying a beautiful night sky on the ceiling of the dome. More stars were portrayed there then I had ever seen before. In a city this big, I could never see any stars at night. Even when I was in America visiting my relatives - who lived a ways away from any cities - I hadn't seen this much of the night sky. Perhaps it was silly to marvel at a fake night sky, but I was amazed. Even Azami seemed to like it; at the very least, she wasn't making any snide comments at my awe. All around the machine in the center, theater seats were positioned in concentric circles. I took a seat in the front row, reclined the back of the chair, and simply sat and stared. If I looked too hard, the stars seemed to move and I got dizzy, so I settled for just taking in the whole picture. I could even pick out the big and little dippers in the sky, as well as my favorite star, Sirius. I'd always liked the name, and I liked its nickname - the dog star. I hadn't a clue as to how it got that nickname, but I thought it was cool.

I was so engrossed that I didn't notice the man walking up to me until he sat in the chair beside me. I jerked upward, flinging Azami (who had been sitting on my stomach) halfway across the room before she could recover. She flew back and landed me on the head, whacking me hard with her tail in annoyance.

"You really like the stars, don't you, Miyuki-san?" said the man. He reclined in his chair next to me, keeping his gaze on the stars. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but something about this man struck me as remarkably similar to Tadase - maybe it was his seemingly quiet demeanor, or maybe it was his looks. I wasn't exactly sure.

"I... er..." I didn't want to admit to how much I loved looking at the stars in that planetarium. It seemed so... geeky. No kid in their right mind wanted to just look at stars all day, like I'd been doing. Though I liked the hustle and bustle of the city, sometimes I just wanted to get away from it all. And the stars seemed so close, yet so distant. They also represented another longing that came from my dragonish chara - the desire to fly.

Suddenly, I felt a chara change come on. "Yes. This place is really amazing... words just can't describe it." Then the chara change faded, and I glared at Azami. That had sounded so stupid! And corny! But my chara just smiled. For once, it wasn't a mischievous smile. It was more like she was trying to be... helpful. With maybe just a hint of mischievousness behind it.

"A dragon doesn't hide how she feels. If you really like this place, then say so. Don't let how it might sound affect how you express yourself. A dragon only cares about how she sees herself, not how others see her." Azami said.

"Oh?" said the man, turning his eyes from the ceiling for the first time and looking towards Azami. _Wait! He can see her?!? Does he have a chara of his own, then? I thought it was only kids who had charas! _"Wise words from one so little." said the man, smiling.

A mixture of pride at being called wise and anger at being called little crossed Azami's face. Anger won out, though, as she spread her wings and dived off my head towards the man. I tried to catch her, thinking she might actually hurt him, but she just flew around his head angrily.

"How dare you call me small!" she said as she circled his head.

"But you _are _small." I said tauntingly, "Downright tiny, even." For this I was rewarded with a sharp rap to my forehead with her tail as she flew right above me.

The man laughed. It was a pure, good-natured laugh, as if the man was truly delighted. "You two ceraintly seem fun!" He said as he calmed down. He stopped laughing, though a smile still remained on his face. He turned his face back up to the stars, and his expression took on a look that made his seem like he was seeing more than just stars. Like he was looking far off in to the distance. They were like the eyes of an old wise man who has seen the world twice over and knows more than anyone. I also turned my gaze back to the stars, and we both sat there, side by side, for a good while.

"Pick a star." he said out of after a while, keeping his eyes trained on the ceiling above. I looked around for one. Of course, I loved Sirius, but it seemed too obvious a choice. I looked around, trying to find one that seemed unique. I didn't want to pick one in a cluster, but nor did I want one that was totally isolated from the others. Finally, my eyes spotted it. About halfway up the arch of the dome was an extremely dim little pinprick of light. Maybe it was just a trick of the projector, but that dim little light seemed somehow... brighter than the rest. Like the dimness only came from it being so very far away, and it was actually the brightest star of the lot. I tried to point it out to him, but in the end I just had Azami fly up to the ceiling and I directed her to it.

"Hmm..." said the man beside me. I looked over to see that he was scowling. Not like he was angry, but like he was trying to figure something out.

"The stars pull on you in very interesting ways, Miyuki-san..." he said after a while. "You have many twists and turns coming up in your fututre. Though I cannot tell what direction you may turn, you commit yourself to taking the path that seems the most unique - the road less traveled, so to speak. You will be the focus of the attention of many - those that call themselves good, others that most would call evil, and even some who cannot decide what they are. Your mind, heart, and mood will pull you towards different paths all at the same time, though once you choose one path to take, the harder it will be to change." He broke off, leaving me to think about what he had said.

I could only remember bits and pieces of his little fortune-telling, not word for word. He'd said that I would take the path that was out of the ordinary. I was already doing that - my whole would-be self was more or less dedicated to having no morals whatsoever, which in itself seemed unique. He said that a lot of people would be paying attention to me. That could mean anyone - the guardians, this Easter corporation, even my parents and teachers. And then he said something about my mind, heart, and mood. My mood was something that was spur of the moment, more or less embodied in my shugo chara with her erratic attitudes. My mind probably referred to logical thinking, and I associate logical thinking with the average person in society. Talking about my mind would be referring to the part of me that still tries to fit in - the part of me that still has morals, the part of me that's embarrassed by all the stares a new girl gets, and the part of me that doesn't want to admit she likes looking at the stars. It was the part of me that was totally opposite my would-be self, and I'd been trying to eliminate it without success for some time now. And my heart... I guess that could refer to morals, too. Or maybe... a love? _What? I've never been in love with anyone! _I thought to myself. _Who could I fall in love with?_ A picture of Tadase came into my mind. Did I love him? He was cute, sure, and I'd even said that he might be more similar to me than I realize. And what about Kukai? He was always so nice and carefree. And though I couldn't remember it, he had carried me to the nurse when I blacked out. Only now did I blush at that fact - a boy had actually carried me!

"You know, the gates to the school close in about five minutes. If you don't want to spend the weekend here, I'd suggest you get going." said the man. I blinked, taking a moment to comprehend that.

"What?!? I've gotta get going then, thanks!" I said, grabbing my pack that I'd laid on the ground and dashing out the door, with Azami right behind me. It was only once the door was shut that I realized that with my chara-change could get me out of here, even if the gates did close. I turned around, wanting to at least ask the man's name, and opened the door. I looked to where we were sitting, but he wasn't there any more. I looked to my right, and then to my left, and received quite the shock. He was standing immediately to my side, looking at me inquisitively.

"Did you forget something?" He asked, smiling.

"Uhh..." he had caught me off-guard, and I tried to quickly compose myself. "I was just wondering if I could know your name."

He smiled friendily. "I'm Amakawa Tsukasa. Nice to meet you. Also, I was wondering if you could hold onto something for me for a while." he bent down and picked up something that had been leaning against the wall. It was a short pole, with a long string attatched to the end. At the other end of the string hung a fish-shaped doll. It was a cat toy.

"A cat toy? Why do you want me to hold onto a cat toy? I don't even own a cat." I said.

"You might find it entertaining this evening, if you keep it with you." replied Tsukasa, with a mysterious and playful tone to his voice.

"Okay...?" I said. "Thanks, I guess." There was a short, awkward silence. "Okay, I guess I'll just leave then." I said, and walked back out the door. And then turned around again, realizing that he had known my name from the beginning without me telling him. Which was kinda creepy. I opened the door once again, and looked around. This time, he was either hiding or had really disappeared, because he didn't seem to be anywhere obvious. I decided to just turn and leave. It wasn't worth it to go looking for him, and I personally didn't want to have to bother with jumping over the fence to get out of the school grounds.

I made it out of the school grounds okay (though I saw no sign of the gates closing anytime soon), and walked home. I asked Azami what she thought about the man, and she thought he was just a crazy old crackpot. I thought he might be a sort of magical wise man, but then again, I always had a very quixotic look at the world. In other words, I always saw fantasy or something in the simplest of things. Like seeing the image of a dragon in that tree from before. However, it was Azami who made the best connection between the cat toy and what it might mean to us. She remembered her conversations with the other charas, and how they had called that boy Tsukiyomi Ikuto and his chara 'thieving cats.' We couldn't remember if they had said it outright, but Azami also remembered how they had said that the chara, Yoru, had a tail. That would also imply some sort of animal, and a cat made sense.

I ate dinner with my parents as I normally did, then told them I was heading to bed early. This was nonsense, of course - I could never fall asleep even if it was midnight by the time I got into bed. But it would hopefully keep them from bugging me in my room. Though the saying went that good things come to those who wait, I had never been the patient sort of person. I was gonna find out why I had been given a cat toy, of all things. On a hunch, I snuck back to the kitchen and got some canned tuna from the storage cupboard. My dad always kept lots of canned foods, though for what reason I may never know. I dumped all my books out of my regular school bag and put the kitty toy and the tuna in it, deciding that it would be awkward for me to walk the streets with cat toy and tuna can in plain sight. I did a quick chara change and jumped out the window, making sure to turn off the light and stuff my sheets with some pillows before leaving.

I was only a couple blocks away from my house when Azami felt the presence of another chara. I noticed the footsteps behind me a few blocks later, when I was heading down a residential alleyway I normally used as a shortcut. I stopped, and I heard the steps behind me stop just a second too late. I'll admit that I was a bit freaked out, being stalked in an alleyway at night, but I kept my composure and turned around slowly. There, about fifteen feet away, was a tall teenage boy with bluish hair and onyx colored eyes. Next to him, a cat-like chara floated. The chara actually reminded me a bit of Azumi, at least when you contrasted the two of them to the rest of the guardians' charas. Both had tails, both had something sticking out of their heads (Azumi had horns, he had ears), both had coverings on their feet that resembled the feet of something else (Azami's looked like dragon feet, the other chara had cat paws). The only big differences were that only Azami had wings, only Yoru had coverings on his hands (cat paws, again), and they were obviously different genders.

"So you're the new guardian, huh?" said the boy. "I can't say I'm impressed." He strode up to me, his long legs closing the distance between us quickly. My heart quickened, and my face heated up. What was this feeling? I was slightly intimidated, yes, but there was something else... _I'm just angry. That's it. I'm angry at being underestimated by this jerk. _

"Can't say I'm impressed either, Tsukiyomi Ikuto." I replied back, trying to keep my voice level. "By the way the guardians keep talking about you, I thought you might actually be someone important. I guess I was wrong." I could tell he was caught off guard by me knowing his name, but otherwise seemed unphased by my taunting. He stepped up a bit more, making the distance between us mere inches. My heart sped up again.

"Oh? So pleased to hear the kiddy king hasn't forgotten me yet." he said, his voice smooth. Suddenly, ears appeared on his head, and I spotted a tail flicking away behind him. So this was his chara change. Was he trying to intimidate me? He continued, "But since you know my name, wouldn't it only be fair that you tell me yours?" Though I was somewhat tall for my age, he still beat me in height by a good four or five inches. I looked to my guardian chara, who was smiling evilly at who I guessed was Yoru. I kept my gaze fixed on her; anything but look into those dark eyes. It was all fine and dandy when I was the one hypnotizing, but when I was on the receiving end, I can't say I was quite as happy.

Continuing to look away, I said, "And what makes you think that I would want to play fair?" I thought I was doing pretty good for my first scenario of witty banter between supposed hero and supposed villain. But while my heart was nearly tearing my chest apart, Ikuto seemed perfectly composed. I knew I couldn't match him if things kept up as they were going.

Ikuto put his hand to my chin, forcing my face towards him so I had no choice but to look into his eyes. The closeness between us - his hand on my chin, my body just inches away from his - made my heart beet even faster. Even in the dark of the alley, his eyes stood out like stars in the night. _Don't tell me I'm actually falling for this guy, am I?_ As my eyes looked into his, I felt similar to how I imagined my dad must've felt when I hypnotized him. Ikuto's eyes were like dark pools of water, sucking me farther under with each second I stayed submerged. "It's just a name. Right?" He asked, in a tone that sounded almost... seductive. I knew it was probably all just a ploy by Easter so they could get some information out of me, but the thought seemed to slip from my mind. I was about to tell him my name, when Yoru finally couldn't take being so quiet anymore.

"That was so funny when you were chasing Kiseki around yesterday, nya~!" said Yoru to Azami. "He practically wet his royal pants!" The little cat chara broke down laughing, rolling around in midair. Ikuto tore his gaze from mine and glared at his chara, though his anger was ignored by both Yoru and Azami. His tail flicked back, showing his annoyance, though his face remained calm.

"I suppose it was fairly funny." replied Azami, as if it were no big deal. "But not _nearly _as funny as this!" She swooped forward and tweaked one of his little cat ears, causing him to yelp a bit.

"Hey! What was that for, nya~?" asked Yoru angrily, rubbing his ear. But now Azami was the one rolling in mid-air, laughing the evil laugh she normally got from someone else in pain. Yoru, seeing he was being ignored, flew forward and pulled Azami's tail. It didn't hurt her, but she started chasing Yoru around for revenge. They both began to zoom through the air, both trying to get the better of the other. However, I could tell this wasn't like yesterday, with Azami and Kiseki. Then, Azami had been sticking to her name, simply doing all she could to defy the one who had called her a commoner. Though she had gotten enjoyment out of chasing him, the chase hadn't been purely for fun. This seemed a lot more playful, as if they were both just messing with each other.

Only now did the impact of what Yoru had first said hit me. My own chara change kicked in, and my eyes turned that color of red. Maybe _now _I'd be able to meet Ikuto's gaze. "Have you been spying on me?" I asked calmly. In my current chara-changed state of mind, I didn't let the fact bother me too much. My heart rate was also slowing down - whatever the feeling had been, my composure was now returning with my chara change.

Ikuto turned his gaze back to me, and I could see the look of surprise when he saw the change in my necklace and eyes. He looked me in the eyes, but this time, we were evenly matched. Neither succumbed to the other's gaze, though I wasn't trying to beat him - only to match him. Trying to get us on an even playing field.

"Perhaps I was spying." He said with his velvety voice. "Maybe I wasn't. What does it matter to you? You know, you still haven't even told me your name." In the background, the noises of the chara's playing continued, though we totally ignored it in our stare-down.

"Oh, I suppose it doesn't really matter." I said nonchalantly, "Though I do have a couple more questions you might be able to answer. Just a moment...." I smiled a wicked smile before letting my gaze wander to the bag that was hanging at my side. I opened it and pulled out the cat toy, stepping back a bit and waving the dangling fish enticingly. To my great amusement, his eyes followed its every move. He took a swipe at it, but I whipped the toy behind my back and out of his view. His eyes turned to me.

"Is this really necessary? Can't we talk like civilized people?" he asked, his silky voice having no effect on my chara-changed state.

"Both you and I know that neither of us is a civilized person." I said, the wicked smiled still plastered on my face. "We could talk dragon to cat, if you'd like."

"Hey! I wanna play, nya~!" said Yoru as he floated up. Azami also soared to my side.

"Oh, here, this is for you. Don't stuff yourself too much." I said, reaching into my bag and pulling out the can. "It's tuna." I explained, throwing the can a ways down the alley. Unfortunately, as I threw the can, Ikuto saw his chance and managed slide right up to me, grabbing the cat toy from behind my back. As Yoru dashed off in pursuit of his fish (with Azami following him), Ikuto and I started another stare-down. This time, I did start pouring power into my red-eyed stare, but I could see that it obviously wasn't going to work.

He smiled at my efforts. "Don't even try to bend me to your will that way." said the cat-boy. "I practically _invented _the pursuasive use of eyes. Now, maybe we can both be reasonable this time. If you tell me your name, then I just might answer one of your questions." After his successful attempt at snatching the cat toy away from me, our bodies were nearly touching. Under my normal frame of mind, I would've had no chance at resisting the eyes and questions of this conniving cat. But my chara-change was still going strong.

I debated a bit in my mind, but decided there would be no harm in telling him my name. "I'm Yamada Miyuki. Now, what I was wondering is if you've been asked to spy on me by Easter, or if it was your own doing."

"Is that all?" he asked, rolling his eyes. The staring contest was more or less over - we both knew that that it in and of itself was getting us nowhere. "Of couse Easter asked me to. Do you really think that you're pretty enough for me to follow on my own time?"

Now, dragons don't care what other people think of them. But they _do _care about being openly dissed. Especially by a cat. I kicked outward and foreward with the force allowed by my chara-change, trying to hook his leg and pull his feet out from under him. But before I knew it, he was gone. I looked up to see him perched on a roof, looking down on me with an amused smile. Though a dragon may be stronger, a cat was definitely much more quick and agile.

"Come on, Yoru, we're going." said Ikuto from above.

"Ahh! I haven't finished the fish yet, nya~!" Yoru complained, but did as he was told. With my increased night vision, I could see the little cat fly up to Ikuto. Just as Ikuto was about to turn and leave, I shouted out.

"Wait a minute - can you tell your boss something for me?" I asked. Azami floated up to my head, settling herself down in my hair.

"Hmmm? And what would that be?" asked Ikuto. Once more, he sounded very amused. I could tell by the tone - he didn't think I knew who I was dealing with. Which, in truth, I didn't.

"Tell whoever it is that runs Easter this: I'll be coming for a little visit sometime tomorrow. I'll be alone, except for Azami. I have a.. propostion that I'd hope he or she would listen to." I said.

Ikuto's eyes narrowed as he called down from the roof. "And if I may inquire, what kind of proposition are you planning on making?"

I thought about not telling him, but decided that I might as well. "I know Easter could probably use me. I doubt they have too many people like us - people with guardian characters. Not to mention, I'm close to the other guardians. If they can give me what I want, then I'd be willing to offer them my service." I smiled at this last part. After so long being a weird but ordinary girl, maybe I could finally get some actual power.

"Idiot." said Ikuto.

"What?" I asked incredulously, preparing to jump up there and wring his little pussycat neck.

"I called you an idiot." he said, scowling. "I don't know what it is that you're looking for, but take my advice and find some other way to get it. That is, if you want to keep whatever freedom you have." His eyes weren't like before. When he had been trying to get me to answer him earlier, his eyes had been calm and seductive. Now, genuine concern eminated from them. As well as some pain that I probably couldn't even begin to imagine. Then the cat was off, jumping from roof to roof. The only way I would've been able to catch him would have been by flying, and so far my chara-change still showed no sign of sprouting wings.

Then my chara-change faded and I kneeled down, exhausted and shocked by the encounter. Even Azami was sleeping on my head, though I figured that was more from laziness or lack of concern than her own tiredness. Eventually, I made my way back home, my feet faintly dragging behind me.

_If I want to keep what freedom I have, huh? Well, that's the question, isn't it? Would I give up my freedom for power? But what would I be losing in the process, really? My whole life these past few months - dreaming of my own ability to be evil and to gain power - has been leading up to tomorrow. Am I really gonna let a few words an alley cat told me hold me back? _I wondered.

_Then again... he was a gorgeous cat._

_

* * *

_

Sorry this took so long. (yeah, I know - how could I make you wait an entire day! I had to go to a stupid little wedding... would've preferred to be writing this, but I was more or less thinking about this most of the time.) But hey! This chapter surpassed 6,000 words! My longest yet! Personally, I think my chapters ound better the longer they are, but that's just me. Anyway, though I hadn't been planning on it, you may have noticed that there will perhaps be some romance in this, after all... I know a lot of people are into Ikuto, and I'll admit it - he's third on my list of top three hottest anime characters (my first two being Haku, the dragon, and Toboe, a wolf. I know, weird. Not to mention, Ikuto is part cat...) Plus, I have realized that stuff like that adds more layers to a story, which is good. Just because of this chapter, don't think my character is going to fall for Ikuto... or that Ikuto has some sort of interest in her. Though I haven't really mentioned it yet, the Amuto thing is happening - my character just hasn't been there, for obvious reasons (Ikuto and Amu are always alone when those moments happen). So you have to take that into account. But I think that Ikuto will definitely start playing an important part in this fanfic. of course, I still don't know what's actually gonna happen, so we'll all have to wait and see.

As always, please review! Thanks for all the positive comments that keep coming in from Water Ichigo-chan and Kitty Obsessive Disorder! (Yes, Ikuto did meet Miyuki in this chapter. And I'll try to cut the cliffies down to a minimum, if I can help myself.) Also as always, both positive and negative reviews are welcome! As long as it's constructive, at least.

And, if anyone happens to read this fanfic who is an artist, and just happens to want to draw a picture of some of my original characters based on my descriptions of them(Azami, mainly) for the benefit of the other readers getting a good mental picture in their heads, then please be my guest. I tried, but the the truth is, I'm a writer, not an artist. I suppose it could've been worse, but it was still pretty bad. But yeah, if someone somewhere gets the urge to do that and would post it somewhere on the internet so everyone could see it, then feel free.

Edit - sprry, folks. I totally had a misconception with some star names. It's fixed now, though.


	9. Easter

The first thing I did when I woke up was try to figure out what outfit I was going to wear. Though I've said before that I don't necessarily try and be stylish, it more or less just happens. I've got an okay eye for style, at least. Today, I obviously didn't want to wear something that was pink and fluffy. I didn't even own anything like that, so that wasn't a huge concern. However, I also didn't want to wear one of the black-themed outfits I normally wore. That might seem like I was being over-eager to be evil. I ended up grabbing a short, dark blue skirt with a navy blue and red striped sleeveless shirt. It wasn't my favorite outfit in the world, nor was it the most professional outfit in the world. I'm not entirely sure why I picked it, other than the fact that I owned very few okay-looking outfits that weren't totally black. It's not that I was goth or anything. I just liked black. On top, I put on a good-looking jean jacket for the sake of having some pockets to put some money in. I didn't have a huge array of shoes to choose from, and eventually just went with an average looking pair of black shoes that slid easily on to my feet. They were comfortable, which was the important thing when I was going to walk all the way to Easter.

Next was the process of convincing my mom to let me leave the house. It shouldn't be too hard - even under the circumstances of my unofficial grounding, I doubted she would make me stay in the house on a nice Saturday like today. My dad was at work, despite the fact that it was the weekend. It would probably take me over an hour to walk to the main headquarters of the Easter Corporation, so I needed my mom to let me stay out for a while. Probably past lunch, at least.

I found my mom doing the laundry downstairs. "Hey mom!" I said, talking over the noise of the clothes dryer. Before she turned around, I went into a chara-change. I was starting to get pretty good at it - I had found that I could turn it on when I really needed it, but it was sort of a given that I didn't want to go around with it on all the time. Someone would figure out something was wrong with me, eventually. Despite this control over my chara-change, it still happened just as often when I wasn't expecting it. I'm not sure if this was Azami's work or something that just happened when a person has a chara.

My mom turned around, only to find herself unable to look away from my red eyes. "Mom, I'm going to be going to a friend's house today. I'll probably be there most of the afternoon, and maybe even into the evening." I poured on the pressure of my gaze.

"Uhh... but you really shouldn't be going anywhere..." she said, though it sounded weak.

"Why not?" I asked. "It's a gorgeous day, and I really don't want to stay cooped up in my room all day."

"Well... I.... I should at least know where you're going." My mom said. She sounded a bit more certain in this, so I focused more of my gaze with my next retort.

"Come on, Mom. I've been good all week. Can't you start to trust me? Besides, you're working so hard with the laundry, and I don't want to bother you. As I said, it's really nice outside, so I thought I'd just walk."

"Oh... All right." She said, finally giving in.

I snapped out of my chara change. "Thanks mom!" I shouted as I headed quickly to the door. I wanted to get out of there before she changed her mind. It was only about eleven in the morning, and since I had eaten breakfast fairly soon before leaving, I probably wouldn't need to eat until after my little meeting. I pulled the directions I had written down on a notecard out of one of the pockets of my jacket. Though I was fairly sure I knew where to go without it, I still wanted it with me. Just in case. I took up a fairly brisk pace, just fast enough that I would hopefully cover some good distance, yet slow enough that I hoped I wouldn't tire myself out. Azami alternately flew by my side and sat on my head. I carried nothing with me - I really didn't want a purse of something getting in my way.

True to my prediction, it took over an hour for me to arrive. In fact, it was nearly twelve forty-five before I got there. Admittedly, the last thirty or forty-five minutes had been pressing buttons and waiting for walk-lights to give me the 'okay' so I could safely cross the busy streets of the business district. That last while of stop-and-go for me allowed me to catch my breath. Not to say that I was out of shape or anything, but I had walked quickly over a good distance. My legs were sore by the time I made it to the first busy intersection, and I was glad for those short chances to stop walking. As I made my way through the busy streets and sidewalks, I thought about what I was going to commit myself to.

_Well, obviously, the only thing I really want from them is power. But what about what Ikuto had said? _

"Azami?" I asked.

"Yeah?" she said from on top of my head.

"What if I do end up losing my freedom in this deal? I mean, I'm going into the den of the beast here - they might try and force me to make an agreement that I wouldn't normally take."

"So?" she asked. "You still want power, right? And you still want to join up with the bad guys, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..." I said.

"But nothing. Do what you want to do, and live with the consequences later. Besides, what are they gonna do to control you? As much as you care for the guardians, you're still betraying them. I doubt they could use them as a threat. And though I'm sure you care about your parents, you've got a dragon heart somewhere in you - I know you could live without them. And they could threaten us personally, but what fun is there in this whole thing if there isn't a little bit of danger? If we really wanted to stop working for them, how are they gonna stop us? It's like when I hatched. You _can _more or less do whatever you want. The only question lies in whether or not you would do it." Azami said. As always, she had no doubt in her answer.

"You're so mean!" I said, partially joking. But then again, maybe she was right. I wanted to be a dragon. And though I cared about some people in my life, I doubted I would give up my freedom for any of them. Plus, if I showed Easter I didn't care, they were much less likely to use them against me. And it wasn't like I was selling my soul to the devil - just making an agreement. They could do nothing to ensure that I upheld my end of the agreement. Of course, I was planning on doing what I agreed to unless they ordered me to do something I was totally against. Azami and I discussed it a bit more after that, but that little exchange more or less summed up the whole argument. In the end, very little doubt remained in me. I wanted power. I wanted to be important. I wanted to do something totally unexpected. And this would definitely fulfill all these requirements.

My legs had recovered a bit by the time I reached my destination. It was a huge skyscraper, and in big bold letters at the top the word 'EASTER' pretty much cleared away any doubts that this wasn't the right place. What I didn't notice as I walked towards the building was the blue haired teen sitting on the steps of a building across the street. Nor did I hear what he muttered to himself before walking away, hands in his pockets and chara nowhere to be seen.

I walked in the glass doors at the front to enter a large, rather plush lobby. Furniture was scattered around in a fashionable way, and all of it looked expensive. I walked up to the front desk, where a woman was typing away at a computer. She stopped when she saw me approaching and smiled. It wasn't a kind smile, more like an 'I-have-to-do-this-because-I'll-get-fired-if-I-don't-seem-happy-to-see-you' kind of smile.

"May I help you?" she asked. Her eyes seemed skeptical, like she didn't want some fifth grade brat bothering her.

"I think I'm expected." I said. At the very least, I hope Ikuto had told the boss here that I was going to come. If he had been spying for Easter, then telling them that probably would have been part of his job. But he seemed pretty independent - if he didn't want to say something, I guessed he wouldn't. "My name is Yamada Miyuki." I finished.

"What?" said the secretary, shocked.

"I said, my name is Yamada -"

"No, I got that. But I expected Yamada Miyuki to be someone a bit-" she broke off, and the look I had challenged her to finish the sentence. Which she did. "...someone a bit older. Anyway, you are expected. Please proceed to the fifty-ninth floor." She said, gesturing to the elevators that were positioned in the wall a little ways from the front desk. Personally, I was just glad that Ikuto had actually delivered the message.

"Thanks for all your help." I said sarcastically. As I started walking, I heard a little exclamation of pain come from the woman. I turned to see her examining her arm, which had a single long scratch down its length. Azami flew back to me from the desk, smiling her customary evil smile. I didn't say anything until I had pressed the buttong for the fifty-ninth floor and the elevator doors closed behind me.

Then I burst out laughing. "Did you scratch her?" I asked.

Azami smiled. "What do you think? Of course I scratched that woman. Which was fun in itself and made more entertaining by the fact that she had absolutely no idea where it came from!"

"What's even better is that she'll have some time trying to get it to stop bleeding!" I said. Most people would think that it was awful that I was getting so much enjoyment out of hurting that woman. But I was. Total lack of empathy on my part. I just thought it was hilarious. I tried to compose myself then, which wasn't too hard. The elevator was going fast, and we were nearly there by the time the seriousness of what I was doing hit me. It seemed like my whole life had been leading up to this moment. Azami didn't care too much, and just kept on chuckling every now and then. She was a true dragon - not scared or phased by anthing. I stepped out once the door opened. To either side of me, dark hallways extended in either direction. In front of me, a big set of double doors stood. Though the lack of lighting made it hard to tell, it didn't seem like there were any doors anywhere along that hallway. And so, I went the only direction that made sense: forward.

I pushed open one of the double doors without even knocking and stood in the doorway for a minute. It was a large office, perhaps emphasized by the fact that it was almost completely empty. A large office desk sitting right in front of a window at the back was essentially the only item in the room. The blinds were partially drawn, letting just enough light in that the desk and chair behind it were silhouetted. But there was enough light for me to see that there was a man - an older man, by the looks of him - sitting in the chair.

"Please come in, Miyuki-san. I understand you have a bit of a proposition you'd like to make." said the man in the chair.

I quietly closed the door behind me and walked forward so that I was just a few feet in front of the desk. "If you were expecting me, then you already know part of my offer." They were awfully big words coming from me. I still wanted this as much as ever, but that didn't stop my wariness and fear at my situation. Azami landed on my shoulder, and her familiar touch gave me courage.

"You want something, to my understanding. And you're willing to use your... unique abilities for us in return for what you want. So what is it that you want? Money?" asked the man. I couldn't make out his features too well, but he sent out a sort of aura of control. I decided it would be best not to try using my chara change on him.

I shook my head. "No. What I want is..." I paused for a moment, as if I was an actress trying to increase the dramatic effect of a scene. Then I continued. "What I want is power." _and now that I think about it..._ "And money wouldn't hurt. But why I really came here was in hopes that you might be able to give me the power that I want."

The man leaned forward, as if interested. "I think we could work something out. But first, may I ask you a few questions?"

"You can ask, but I may not answer." I said. _A__m I a natural at this, or what?_ Despite my little heart pounding away in my chest, I was actually quite composed. Hardly flustered whatsoever. Not like last night, with Ikuto.

"Did your egg hatch recently?"

I shrugged. "You could say that."

"And you just joined the guardians earlier this week, correct?"

I'll admit, I was a bit weirded out by how much he knew about me. Perhaps knowing about the guardians wasn't so creepy, but knowing that Azami had just hatched? How would he have any idea about that? "Yeah, they invited me to join on Tuesday." I replied.

"And they don't know about your... ambition?" he asked.

"Not as far as I know." _Am I sure I want to answer these questions?_

"Hmm..." said the man.

Before he could get another question in, I blurted, "And what would your name be? I'd at least like to know who I'm dealing with."

I could tell that the man smiled at this. "My name is not important." He said. _Like that line hasn't been used a billion times before. _"Don't think of it as dealing with me - think of it as dealing with Easter. As managing director of Easter, I can more or less speak for the company as a whole."

I frowned, but didn't push the issue. These villains. Always so... enigmatic.

Now the man continued. "Now, I'd like to hear any conditions you might have. We wouldn't want to hire you if you'd end up refusing to do something."

I already had this planned out. I already knew what I would refuse to do, and had tossed out any of my own preferences that Easter would almost certainly refuse to agree to.

"I don't want to be ordered to kill anyone. Or ordered to seriously hurt anyone. Even in my regular chara-change, I could probably seriously injure someone. But I don't want that happening. I'll attack and defend to your heart's content, but I don't want to be forced to hurt anyone in any sort of permanent or major manner." I was thinking of the guardians with this condition. And of myself. As dragonish as I wanted to be, I don't think I could kill just yet. And while I'd be more than happy to fight the guardians, I didn't want to have to purposefully hurt them in a big way.

The man nodded. "Understandable. Anything else?"

"Yes." I said. I was surprised at how quiet Azami was being. Maybe she was testing me. Maybe she just wanted me to crash and burn. I never knew with her. "If you want me to keep the guardians unsuspecting, then it would be best for you to agree that I need to keep up my normal behavior around them. Even if it would mean directly opposing someone from Easter. Of course, if I was ordered to quit this act by you or some other Easter official, then I would stop. What I'm asking for is permission to oppose Easter in any way in order to keep up my secret affiliation with you, at least until I am ordered differently."

"This would be beneficial to both of us." He said, then waited to see if I had anything else to say.

"And... I suppose it would be too much to ask for me not to have to betray the guardians?" I asked. I knew this one was more or less impossible, but I had comitted myself to at least asking.

"Yes, I'm afraid that would be a bit hard for me to agree to." said the man. "Other than that last one, if those are all your conditions, then I think we can certainly come to some sort of agreement. I would be willing to give you power and say... a hundred dollars a week should you agree to use your abilities for us. And we will not go against any agreed conditions."

That sounded great, but I concealed my enthusiasm. "Can you be more specific as to what kind of power you're giving me?" I didn't want to be cheated.

"Well, there is a concept our researchers have been investigating for a while. It involves powering a person using the power of X-eggs. You do know what X-eggs are, correct?" I nodded, and he continued. "We haven't had anyone to test it on, since we have very few people with charas working for us, and those that we do have refused to try it out." My mind flashed to Ikuto. Was he not interested in power?

"And so what does this power do?" I asked.

"We don't know yet. You would have to be willing to be the first to try. Though due to the power of the negative feelings of X-eggs, I would think that the results would be satisfactory to you. I'm afraid that's all I'm able to tell you on the matter - our scientists are the only one who understand the exact mechanics of it. Is that enough for you?"

"And what if it doesn't work? What if I don't get any power from it?" I asked.

"Then we at Easter will either keep working to give you power, or the agreement will be null and void. So, do you accept all these terms?" He asked.

I thought about them. Easter had agreed to my conditions, and were going to give me power and money. If I'd thought about it, I probably could've gotten a much higher pay, but my mind was mainly focused on the power. I turned my head to Azami, who gave a evil, satisfied smile and nodded.

"All right. We have a deal." I said.

"I'm glad to hear it." said the man. "I'll have a contract written up, and you can come by and sign it tomorrow."

"I don't think that's necessary." I said. _Man, I'm really staying level-headed throughout this. _I thought to myself. _Perhaps it's because this guy doesn't seem nearly as threatening as the guardians made Easter out to be. He has agreed with practically all my requests, and hasn't done anything more threatening than sit in his desk and make deals. No wonder I can handle this._

I continued on. "I mean, contracts are for matters that apply to the law. I would say that quite a bit of this is more or less outside of the government's hands. And a contract is just words - actions are what really speak. I'll keep to my end of the bargain as long as you keep to yours. A piece of paper isn't necessary."

"Very true. Then we are agreed, and the unwritten contract can start now. Come back here a week from today. The scientists should have everything ready for you by then, and my side of the agreement can come into full effect. Until then, keep in good relations with the guardians. It will be very helpful to the Easter corporation to have them trust someone like you." I could sense that the man was smiling, and not in a good way. This was more like an... evil smile of victory. I had probably been tricked, and my heart sped up at the thought. Then again, what was it that he could do?

"If that's all..." I said. "Then I guess I'll be going."

The man nodded. "I look forward to seeing you in a week." I walked to the door, closing it behind me. Once the elevator doors closed behind me, Azami began circling my head enthusiastically.

"You did it!" She said, smiling. "Now we can get more powerful! All we have to do is wait one more week!" I was actually in a bit of a glum mood. I knew, by that guy's expression, that I had been tricked. I didn't exactly like the thought.

"Hey, come on! We did it!" said Azami, trying to cheer me up. "What's your problem? Are you maybe missing Ikuto?" she teased.

"No!" I said as she laughed. I tried to stay serious, but I could never keep a straight face if my dragon chara was bent on making me smile. "It's just that... didn't you see the look on that guy's face? I think he tricked us, somehow."

"What do you mean, tricked _us_? You were the one doing all the talking. If he tricked anyone, it was you. Anyway, I saw the guy's face quite a bit better than you probably did. He definitely thinks he's got the better of us, somehow."

It was now that the elavator door opened. I could see the secretary sitting at her desk. She had put on a jacket, but I thought I saw just a bit of toilet paper sticking out of the sleeve. _Did she really try and stop the bleeding with toilet paper? _As I walked out the elevator, the woman looked at me and glared. She probably blamed me for the scratch. Azami, seeing the glare, decided to give another little reminder of the feel of her claws. This time the dragon scratched the lady in the shin, where her skirt didn't cover. She yelped louder than before, saw the wound, then glared back at me. I smiled and waved before heading towards the door, while Azami settled for making faces at the lady. I let her do it, seeing as the lady couldn't see my chara anyway. We laughed again once we were out of the door. The look on that woman's face had been completely _priceless. _

It took us a while to stop laughing, but we eventually did. I had about fifteen dollars and I was getting kinda hungry, but then I realized that I really didn't know where any fast food places were around here. So I just started walking home. As I walked, I returned to our topic from the elevator.

"But doesn't it bother you a bit that we were tricked?" I asked Azami.

She started flying around my head again. "Perhaps a bit, but a dragon doesn't feel the need to worry about things until they're happening. Plus," She smiled her wicked smile, "Once they do trick us, then they get to taste the wrath of a dragon. And then _we'll _be the ones smiling and he'll just be a smouldering pile of ash." I laughed. It was finally done. Whatever was goning to happen now was going to happen whether I worried or not, so I took Azami's advice and relaxed. I'd done it.

I was now officially a member of Easter.

* * *

Thanks for reading once again! This chapter was pretty fun to write. And I'm sorry - I'm really bad with fashion. Whenever I'm describing one of Miyuki's outfits, feel free to just ignore that paragraph and come up with your own outfit to imagine her in. I have no eye for style at all, and can't even color coordinate very well. Anyway, Please review!

Also, about that note in my last chapter, the thing about anyone wanting to draw Azami is only if someone seriously WANTS to. If you don't want to, then don't worry about it. I just thought I'd mention it, just in case someone did.

Another thing - I just realized that Japanese schools have different breaks and such than schools like mine in the U.S. They've got the trimester thing, while I'm only familiar with the semester school year. So you'll just have to excuse me if I write this as if Miyuki was going to a semester school, not like how it actually is. Sorry about that, but I don't want to attempt to write about something that I don't really know too much about.

Speaking of which, I've got school starting tomorrow... which means less chapters, probably. I'm going to try and write as much as I possibly can (because I'm really enjoying it), but don't expect one a day. There is the chance that I could shorten the chapters, and hence have chapters come out more often but with less in them, but I don't think I'm gonna do that. You'll probably just have to live with long chapters that take a while to get finished. Trust me, I'd bet I'm more sorry about me going to school than you are about me going to school. But I am sorry to those of you who like reading this and want more updates. Darn school! _


	10. Official Guardian

"And finally, our last order of business is to announce the newest guardian member." said Tadase. It was Monday, two days after my meeting with Easter. It was also the second Monday of the month, which was apparently the regular day for the guardians' periodic meetings with the rest of the school. My heart beat faster, realizing that I would have to go in front of everyone in just a moment. I was sitting on the edge of a row about halfway into the audience, and had been waiting specifically for this. Though this would be a great opportunity to make even better relations with the other guardians as Easter wanted me to, I was mainly looking forward to this because it made me feel like... like I was being accepted into something important. And even more than that, it meant that I would be able to hang out with people who were really fun to be around.

"Though she has only been here for a week," continued Tadase, "She seems to have earned the respect of many of you, and that is why we are making this sudden appointment late in the year. Hopefully, there will be no objections to making Yamada Miyuki the deuce chair to the guardians." He could barely finish the last part of the sentence, due to the loud round of applause that broke out at my name being said. I'll admit that I rather liked the feeling. I got up from my seat and walked up to the stage, my eyes looking straight forward and a slightly triumphant smile on my face.

Once I was up on the stage, I walked up to Tadase. He smiled at me and pulled out my new, red cape from one of the shelves beneath the podium. I turned to the crowd, allowing him to reach from behind me and buckle the cape at the front of my neck. My heart sped up even a bit more from this. _I'm just excited about getting my 'royal' symbol. That's why I'm getting excited about my cape being put on, right? Of course, I can't be feeling giddy about who's putting on the cape... right? _I didn't let it bother me too much, seeing as the crowd let out another loud round of applause. I heard a cheer from somewhere in the crowd, and managed to pick out Mai, smiling encouragingly. She was the one I had helped with math, and more or less the reason that I was getting such a warm welcome as guardian. Without that exposure as a so-called 'protector' of a student with trouble, maybe there _would _have been objection to me becoming a guardian.

I smiled to the crowd for a few seconds, not knowing what else to do. Then Tadase tapped me on the shoulder, and I knew enough to step back with the other guardians. All of them smiled at me as I walked back to them. This was probably the largest level of acceptance I had ever had at any school before, and I was glad to know that I had real friends for perhaps the first time in my life. I doubted myself for a moment. I mean, I was planning on flat-out betraying the guardians. Did I really want to ally myself against the only friends I had?

But, as I said, I only doubted myself for a moment. I shook the feeling off. Even if I ended up feeling so guilty that I couldn't take it, I could always just quit Easter. _But what was it that the guy in the planetarium said? That once I made my choices, it would be hard to change my path? Could he really tell my future, or was he just some lunatic?_

I called my attention back to the end of the meeting, as Tadase quieted down the crowd. "And that brings this month's meeting to an end." Tadase turned around and joined the rest of us, and we proceeded off the stage and back into the crowd. There were still about ten minutes left until the end of school, and so the teachers tried desperately to get their classes together. We said quick goodbyes to each other before joining our respective classes as everyone began to file out the doors. Hinamori and I went together, quickly picking out Nikaido-sensei with his messy hair from the rest of the crowd. The bell rang almost as soon as we got back to our classroom, and we all left once again.

As I was leaving the classroom, I heard Nikaido say, "Tamiya-san, please stay after class." I recongnized the name as the last name of Mai, and I turned around momentarily to see her giving a questioningly look to Nikaido. I managed to catch her eye from my position halfway out the doorway, and gave her an encouraging smile. She smiled back, but I could tell before I stepped out the door that she was still a bit worried.

Amu and I made our way over to the greenhouse. My first meeting as an official guardian went without a hitch. We talked about the meeting from earlier today a bit, talking about the different issues that had been brought up. But most of the time we just goofed off, eating some delicious brownies that Nadeshiko had made. I figured that this was pretty much an average meeting, which seemed better than filing papers like last week.

Everyone had left the front school yard by the time we left the royal garden. I was walking at the back of the group as we approached the front gate to leave. Though I had been full-heartedly accepted into the guardians, I still couldn't say I was friends with them on the same level that they were friends with each other. They had had more experiences with each other, and other than listen to retellings, there was no way I could share the exact same experiences with them. It made me feel slightly down. What if it would always be like this? Though I loved to hang out with them, what if I remained just that tad bit the outsider for the rest of the time I was a guardian with them? Although that time might not be long, depending on how soon I would be asked to betray them.

Right as we were about to split up and head our seperate ways, I heard a noise somewhere a ways behind me. I turned around and saw Mai, coming out of the school's main doors. _Did Nikaido really keep her after school this long?_

"Hey, Mai!" I waved, getting her attention. Her eyes, which had been staring down at the ground, turned up to notice me for the first time. She instantly brightened from her gloomy mood, and I started walking over to her. Seeing that the guardians were staring, I said, "You guys go on ahead - I'll see you all tomorrow!" They left, and I turned back to Mai.

Mai ran up, quickly closing the distance between us. "Hi, Miyuki-san, how are you?"

"I'm fine. What about you? Why did Nikaido need you after school?" I asked as we started walking. It turned out that about the first five blocks of her walk home were the same as mine, so we simply walked and talked.

"Oh, I'm fine, I guess. It's just that..." she looked at the ground, as if ashamed. "Nikaido-sensei wants me to start coming in after school everyday to learn math, and we started today. I guess I'm doing worse than I thought..."

I frowned. "Well, that's stupid. After a bit of help, you seem to get by with it well enough. I don't see why you would need to stay after school for it."

"Well, I don't want to get behind, so I guess it's for the best." She purposefully brightened up now, deciding to change the subject. "And how about it? What's it like being with the guardians?"

I couldn't really tell her what being with the guardians was truly like - having a shugo chara popping into the conversation every few seconds, our conversations concerning the shugo charas and the embryo, etc. So I gave a vague answer. "It's fun, I guess. They're all fun to hang out with. Though the actual job of guardian is kinda boring, it's great to be able to be with them." It's not like me and Mai were the best of friends in the world, but she probably tied with Amu on the top of my list of good friends. I had been able to pick up that Mai never really hung out with anyone before I came, and so I supposed that perhaps she was using the opportunity of a new student coming as a way to make a friend. She was nice (if not a little goody-goody, like every other student at this school seemed to be), so I wasn't complaining. Though it could be a bit tiresome to have to give her a quick explanation after every math lesson.

"Yeah, I bet it's fun. All of you are the most amazing people in the school!" She said.

"I wouldn't say that..." I replied, thinking back to their different chara-changes. Especially Tadase's little 'conquer the world' rampage.

"But it's true! And Tadase is so cute, but.... but personally, I like Kukai better. He's so athletic and care-free. But there's no way I could ever ask him out or anything, so it's okay." Mai said. Of course, she was going all ga-ga over the guardian guys. I had never seen why anyone ever wanted to be more than just friends with the opposite gender. Then my mind flashed to Ikuto. _Why am I thinking of him now? I already know that I couldn't possibly like him. So why does it feel like I do? _I tried to shake the image of Ikuto - and the feeling that came with it - away from me.

"Miyuki-san, are you okay?" asked Mai. I'd probably let the thought distract me for just a moment too long.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just sorta zoned out for a minute. Anyway, my house it this way. I'll see you later!" I said, turning to the right to continue my journey back to my house.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow!" said Mai in reply, keeping to the same straight path they had been taking.

I wrote in my story for a while when I got home. My main group of heroes met a new character. Someone who was always worried about not keeping up with others her age. Scared to be left behind and end up a failure. Unfortunately, I knew as soon as I added her that she would die within a few chapters, trying and failing because of her fear. It actually made me a bit sad, which was new for me. I usually liked killing off characters. I thought it made stories more realistic, and I always felt better if the story wasn't some fairy tail where all the good guys come together to successfully slay the metaphorical dragon. I usually stood on the side of the dragon.

It was later in the evening when it happened. I was already in my pajamas, doing the little bit of homework I had, when Azami perked up. "There's another shugo chara close by!" she said excitedly. I could've just ignored it, but I'd leaned by now that both me and Azami were too curious to pass up something like this. I quickly pulled on my clothes, and shouted down at my parents that I was going to bed (so that they wouldn't bother me.) I turned off my light, chara-changed, and was out the window before I knew it.

"So? Where is this chara?" I asked Azami.

"Hmm..." she said, seemingly trying to focus. Then her head tilted towards the sky. "It's up there! On your roof!"

"On my roof? Who in the heck would have the nerve to be on my roof?" I asked, though I already had a pretty good guess. I mean, how many people that had shugo charas knew where I lived and could get on the roof without being noticed?

Trying hard to stay out of sight of any windows that might let mom or dad see me, I walked into our small backyard. I got a running start and jumped onto a bench we had back there, before using that momentum and added height in a jump to the roof. Though the running start and boost from the bench helped, I still barely managed to haul myself up there, seeing as it was two stories up. My chara change faded as I walked on my roof. I had never been up here before. The whole thing was slightly tilted to let rain drain into the rain gutters, but was flat enough that I could walk with ease. And, as I had guessed, Ikuto and his chara were the surprise guests. Ikuto was laying on his back, staring up at the sky. He didn't seem to pay any attention to me. But Yoru did.

"Hey, hey, do you have any more tuna? That stuff was good, nya~!" said the cat.

"Sorry. I didn't bring any with me this time." I said to Yoru, who looked downcast. Then I turned my focus to Ikuto. "So may I ask why you're still following me?"

"Huh?" said Ikuto, as if he had just now realized I was there. "What do you mean I'm following you? You're the one who found me up here."

...

What was he playing at? Of course he was following me. I was ever so slightly annoyed that he was flat out denying something so obvious.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean I'm following you?' This is _my _roof." I said.

"Is it?" he said. _Like he doesn't already know. _"Well, you're still the one who came up and disturbed me. So what is it you want?"

_He really has a way with making me annoyed. _"What I want is to call the police and have you arrested for trespassing. Then again, I suppose Easter wouldn't be too happy about that, would they?"

I had hit the nail on the head. His eyes hardened as he stared at me. Laying there, with that steely gaze on his face, I could only think of one word to describe him: beautiful. It was something I had never called a guy before, and something I had never thought I would think about a boy. But here he was. Even with the moonlight significantly dimmed by all the light of the city, it still shone on him as if he were the only person of importance in the world. My heart began to speed up again. I had never wanted to fall in love. That was something for normal girls. Normal girls who couldn't think of anything better to do than base themselves on relationships. Girls who I wanted to be different from. Girls who could care less about adventure as long as they got their knight in shining armor. I didn't want this. But, nonetheless, I could deny it no longer. Perhaps I wouldn't quite use the term love, but... I was attracted. Attracted to his beautiful body, his mysterious manner, and those onyx eyes. And I hated myself for it. And I hated Ikuto even more than I hated myself.

"So, did you make a deal with them?" asked Ikuto seriously. The accusing look in his eyes made me feel guilty, but I avoided the urge to look down. Instead, I let my anger at my feelings come through.

"Yeah, I did. What does it matter to you? As the guardians told me, you're more of a stray - someone who cares about no one but himself. So why are you so concerned about me? I'm not an idiot, as you so called me. I can take care of myself." I kept my tone fairly calm for the most part, but I knew some of my wrath was leaking through.

"What did you agree to?" asked Ikuto. He was trying for an unconcerned tone now, but even I could tell that there was an underlying urgency to his voice. He got up from where he was laying, stood, and walked toward me. I backed up a half a step, but he kept coming til he was only a couple feet away. Close enough that I had to look up at him if I wanted to meet his eyes. I did so, and once more I felt like I was losing myself in his gaze. But this time I focused. I was too angry and too confused to let him work this magic on me again. However, it still had it's effect. Though I didn't stutter or have trouble talking to him, I didn't even think about not answering his question.

"I told them that I would work for them if they gave me power. They'll be doing so next Saturday. Do you have a problem with it?" I asked defiantly.

"And how are they going to give you power?" he asked.

Perhaps if it had occurred to me to chara-change, I could've thought well enough to realize that I had no need to answer him. But I didn't chara chang, and my eyes remained their flat gray as I replied. "Something to do with giving me X-egg power. I don't really know the details."

If anything, Ikuto's eyes darkened even more. His eyes seemed both flat and infinitely deep at the same time. "Don't do that. Stop all communication with Easter. They'll wrap you around their fingers until all you want to do is their bidding. Just so that they can't hurt you anymore."

"And what do I care about pain? Pain I can deal with." I said. "Why do you care? You probably just don't want any competition, so that you can suck up to those guys up top by giving them the embryo. Let me live my life - you're acting just like a concerned parent or something. I can take care of myself just fine."

He stared at me for a moment longer, his eyes like daggers of disappointment. Then, without another word, he strode off in the other direction. Yoru followed behind, whining for him to wait up. Just before coming to the edge of the roof, his ears and tail appeared, and he jumped to the ground below. Once he was gone from my sight, I broke from my trance. I walked quickly over to where he had jumped from and looked to the street. But he was gone. For a few minutes I just stood there, stunned. Everything about this was wrong - Ikuto wasn't supposed to care. I wasn't supposed to love. Nobody was supposed to be ruining my first adventure towards evil glory. But it was all happening anyway.

I managed to swing down through my open window with a chara change, then changed back into my pajamas silently before going to bed. My mind was racing, but I hardly even took in a third of my thoughts. I was mentally numbed by the encounter. I fell asleep quickly, releasing myself to a series of disorienting dreams.

* * *

Sorry it took me so long to get to this. I seriously had absolutely no time during the week, due to homework and school activities. Please review, because reviews make me happy! Then again, just writing this makes me even happier, so I suppose that I don't need the reviews to be satisfied. But still, I've gotta admit that their nice. So review! Please!

Something you may have noticed is that the story that Miyuki is writing often corresponds to what is happening, her thoughts, or her mood. Later on, I might bring in the use of some poetry for the sake of the story, and you might want to pay attention to this too. Both of these might have some tiny aspects of foreshadowing. (though I shall say no more than that)

Also, for all of you Ikuto lovers out there, you might be saying, 'What in the heck is Ikuto doing? Since when _does _he so obviously act like he cares by actually coming over to someone's house and warning them about something? This isn't the Ikuto I know!" And, if you are saying this, you are right. Though I'm trying to keep to his character (as in lines like "what do you mean I'm following you? You're the one who came up here and disturbed me."), him being so concerned definitely may seem wrong. However, this shall probably be explained later on. I shall give no more hint than that, but you need not feat, Ikuto-lovers!

This also brings me to another important point. Seeing as 'character' is such an important aspect of this anime, if you think I am characterizing any character (namely, the guardians, Ikuto, Nikaido, and other people from the show) then please let me know and I will do my best to stay true to their personalities. This is a fanfic, and that means that I don't want to change the personalities of the people from the show.

Another point I would like to bring up that I may have not mentioned before. More or less, most events of the anime have not happened. This is more or less as if the anime re-started, with my new character thrown into the mix. I mean, the same events wouldn't happen if another person was thrown into the equation, would they? Easter would act differently and pursue different means of obtaining their goals, and this in turn would effect everything else. There is the chance that some really major events (eg, Nikaido being found out, the appearance and possible hatching of Dia's egg, Nadeshiko revealed as Nadehiko, etc) might still occur, though they may occur in different ways. I just think this is an important thing to keep in mind. For the most part, there will be few instances that mimic the anime, and even fewer chapters that include scenes directly from the anime.

Under my closing comments, I would also like to say this: w00t! Episode 14 (65) of Shugo chara is out subbed! It's a great plot episode, and I love Yoru! And Ikuto is quite entertaining as well. And I feel so sorry for Nagihiko... I want Temari and his new chara back so he can be happy. Just so everyone knows, if there's anyone I'm in love with on this show, it's Nagi. Despite my lack of romantic qualities in my personality, I do love Nagihiko.


	11. Of X Charas and Ice Cream

_So why in the world am I falling in love? Is this really love? I don't want to fall in love with anyone. So why? Why am I experiencing these feelings? _

These were among the questions that swirled around my head as I ignored whatever Nikaido was saying. It was Thursday, and I was starting to get used to a bit of routine. But Ikuto had messed it all up. I was still upset that I was feeling attracted to anyone at all. Especially Ikuto. Why couldn't I feel this way when I was around Tadase, or Kukai?

Then again, even that was a lie. I remember how I felt when Tadase put that cape around my neck. And though I was blacked out at the time, just the thought of Kukai carrying me aroused the same feeling. But why? I didn't want to be like other girls. Feeling that way about anyone was stupid. Love was one of those noble feelings. Always, always, always, the main character of a book falls in love. I wanted to be different than them. It was because I wanted to be different that Azami had been born. Still, why Ikuto? He was annoying, hard to deal with, and a downright pain. Then again, that was probably why I liked him. Out of all the guys I had met so far, Ikuto was the least noble of them all. I suppose it was only logical that if I would fall for anyone, it would be him.

"Mizuki-san? Are you okay?" I snapped out of my daze. Nikaido was calling on me. Judging by the stares of the class, he'd already said my name a couple times. Great.

"Uh... yeah, I'm fine." I said, caught off guard.

"Then could you please help Tamiya-san with this problem?" he said. He took a step forward, but he ended up tripping and falling. The whole class laughed. I was getting used to this - Nikaido-sensei was probably the klutziest teacher I had ever seen. Despite the merriment in the classroom, I saw Mai up at the board, looking depressed. She had chalk in her hand, and she was apparently trying and failing to solve a problem. Right now, we were multiplying two digit numbers. Not too hard for me, but it was pretty complex for most fifth graders. I doubted my old school would be this advanced yet.

I wanted to sorta help Mai along, so that she could see that she knew how to do it. But I knew that would seem really presumptuous of me. (because I would be assuming that I am so much better than Mai. Which I am, but I didn't want to sound cocky) And so, I just told her what to do from my desk. "You got the first part right. Now you just multiply the four by the two separate digits of the first number, then add that result to the result of what you already did." Once I explained it, Mai could remember how to do it. But the damage had already been done - she hadn't been able to do something in front of the whole class. I could tell how down she was feeling. I wanted to talk and comfort her, but Nikaido was already moving on with the lesson. What was he playing at? He knew that Mai was still having trouble with math. Why'd he make her go up in front of the class?

* * *

"So can you guys tell me what Ikuto is like again?" I asked. We were in the royal garden after school. This was becoming a part of my routine as well. All of the guardians were really fun to hang out with. I'd been finding out that most of them were pretty easy to figure out, as far as their personalities go. Tadase was shy, but wanted to be strong. Yaya just wanted to mess around all the time, or something like that. Kukai just loved sports. I wasn't sure about Nadeshiko. She seemed like she maybe just wanted to be a lady, but so far I hadn't seen her chara-change. Amu... with her three different charas, I didn't know what to think about her. And she was the only one who could chara-nari. Did that make her somehow better than the rest of us? And what about that lock, that paired with Ikuto's key? Did that mean anything?

"Why do you want to know about Ikuto, Miyuki-san?" asked Nadeshiko inquisitively. "We've told you about him before."

"Well, it's just that... you know how we were a little late getting home on Tuesday?" That day, the charas had sensed an X-egg right as we were leaving the school. We had all chased after it to help Amu out, but it meant that it was already getting dark by the time we all made it to our respective homes.

"Yeah, that was awesome! Our first full combined x-egg hunt!" said Kukai enthusiastically.

So I continued, "Well, when I was walking home, I thought I saw someone with cat ears and a tail. On a roof. But it was dark, so I was probably mistaken..." This was, of course, a lie. I couldn't tell them that the last time I had seen Ikuto, he had actually been on my own roof.

Tadase's face, as always, looked grim at the mention of Ikuto. "That sounds like him. Sneaking around on roofs, deceit filling his every word. He cares for no one. If you're seeing him around, I suggest you stay wary. You don't want a black cat like him to cross your path." Tadase's words seemed wrong, from my meetings with Ikuto. I mean, that cat did admittedly sneak around on roofs, but other than that, it sounded like Tadase was misinformed, or something. Ikuto certainly seemed to care about what I was doing to some extent, for some reason. Though Tadase said that he lied all the time... but no. I had looked into those eyes, and he had seemed truthful. Perhaps joking at some parts of our conversation, but he had never seemed to say an outright lie. Could he lie so convincingly that I couldn't tell, maybe?

I was about to ask something else when the group of shugo charas came flying up. They had been messing around in some other part of the greenhouse, but they were all alert now. "Guys, their's an X-egg somewhere close by!" said Daichi. All of us guardians jumped up from our seats, ready for action.

"Let's go." said Tadase seriously as we all dashed out of the greenhouse. We stopped as soon as we had left, though. It was still pretty soon after school had been dismissed, and their was still about a total of twenty people talking outside. They stared when they saw us, confused by our haste. We all sort of smiled awkwardly, not knowing what else to do.

"Come on, you guys!" said Ran. "We've got to purify the egg!" This snapped us out of our embarassed daze, but we still had a problem. If we just went rushing off to get the egg, everyone watching would wonder what we were doing. Who knows, someone might even follow us.

And, cue my chara-change.

"Okay, everyone, race time!" I said, talking loud enough so that everyone around us could hear. "The first one to..." Well, I had a problem here. I didn't know where the X-egg was. Azami saw my problem.

"It's in the school." she said, barely managing to keep a laugh back. I looked around, and noticed that everyone was staring at me. I mean, I was listening to something they couldn't see, and pausing way too long in my little race announcement. But I was chara-changed, so that didn't matter to me.

"So, the first on to the school..." I continued, "Wins!" Before anyone other than the guardians could really comprehend this sudden outburst, I started the race. "On your marks, get set, go!" I said, managing to dash off just a second before the others were ready. I ran top speed towards the front doors, but my chara-change went away and I was left slower than before.

"Hey, not fair!" Said Kukai, laughing. He did a chara-change, speeding up. I could sense rather than see him catching up behind me.

"Let the king go first, commoners!" Shouted Kiseki, flying hard to keep up with the rest of the charas. Azami had gotten a head start with me, and was using her wings to make a good margin between her and the competition.

"Yaya wants to win!" said Yaya as she tried to keep up with the older, faster guardians.

"W-wait up!" shouted Amu. As always, she was just a bit slow on the uptake, and she only dashed off a couple seconds after everyone - including her charas - had started the race.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Nadeshiko. I managed to spy a unique flower on her head before she practically bowled me over, along with everyone else in front of her. So _this _was her chara-change. I was surprised that someone as graceful as Nadeshiko with a chara as polite as Temari could have a personality like this. I barely managed to keep myself from falling, and Kukai managed to pass me. In the end, the race ended with us coming through the doors in the following order - Nadeshiko, then Kukai, Tadase and I tied for third, then Yaya, and finally Amu bringing up the rear. Azami was the first shugo chara, and all the others more or less came through the doors as a group. We were all laughing and gasping for breath inside the school, but my ploy had done its job: all of the students that had been watching had been too shocked by the sudden and slightly strange turn of events to follow. The doors were solid wood, so I couldn't see them outside, but I would bet that they were staring dumbly at the door, stunned. The thought made me laugh even harder.

Surprising or not, it was Kiseki that brought us back to our senses. "Come on, commoners! We must find the X-egg!"

We all managed to stop laughing and got serious again. "Where is it?" asked Nadeshiko, apparently back to normal.

"I think it's upstairs, desu~!" Said Su.

We all rushed to the nearest flight of stairs and ran up. We passed the second floor, and it was only once we were on the third floor that the charas told us to get off the stairs. This was my floor, where I went to class. This made me worried. I became even more worried as the charas directed us through the hallways, straight to the classroom where Amu and I were most of the day. _It couldn't be... Mai? I mean, she was certainly depressed, but enough to make an x-egg?_

My fears were confirmed as soon as Tadase opened the door. Mai was sitting in one of the front desks, her eyes dark and hopeless. Nikaido was nowhere to be seen.

"Isn't that your friend, Miyuki-san?" asked Kukai, concerned. I didn't bother to answer him. I rushed forward, bending down in front of the desk so I would be eye-level. I wondered if this kind of concern was really my character - I mean, evil people didn't care about anyone, did they? Then again, Azami said a dragon did whatever she wanted. If that meant I wanted to be concerned and have friends, I supposed it was okay.

"Mai! Tamiya Mai, are you okay? Snap out of it!" She looked up, and her blank eyes met my intense gaze. It was as if she was looking, without actually seeing. All the other guardians stood outside the doorway, waiting.

"I'm stupid... I'll never be able to do math... I'll always be a failure..." she said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "That's not-" I was interrupted as I heard the screeching of a bad piece of chalk on the blackboard behind me. I turned slowly around to see a little black chara-sized figure floating by the chalkboard. On its forehead was a big white 'X', and in its hand was a tiny piece of chalk.

The thing smiled evilly at me. "Math... is... USELESS!" Upon the last word, it pointed its chalk at me. A wave of dark numbers and math symbols flew towards me, and I barely had time to take in this fact before they hit me. I slammed hard against Mai's desk, my back hitting the front of it. The desk was knocked into the desk behind it, tipping both of them over and sending both Mai and me down to the floor. An overwhelming feeling of hopelessness flooded through me, and I hardly noticed the pain in my back. I hardly noticed anything.

_How can I ever be unique... I'll just end up hurting my friends and everyone around me. I could never be a real dragon - it's just not physically possible. I should just quit..._

"Holy Crown!" shouted Tadase as he stepped in front of the stream of dark energy. Someone had finally come to their senses enough to help me. He had a scepter in one hand, and out of it a golden light spilled forth, creating a sort of force field in between me and the X-chara. The X-chara stopped, and Tadase lowered his scepter. But I only vaguely registered all this. I stared blankly forward, not really paying attention. All the other guardians came up to surround the little black character, who looked a bit worried.

Tadase, while still keeping his eyes on the chara, bent down and knelt right next to me. He was so close to me, and under other circumstances this would have aroused more confusion about who I really liked, if I indeed liked anyone. But darkness was the only focus of my mind.

"Yamada-san, are you all right?" asked Tadase, worried. I didn't reply. I just kept looking forward. Even Azami, laying on my shoulder, had lost the motivation to do anything.

"Miyuki!" said Tadase, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me.

"It's useless... nothing matters..." I said, continuing to stare into space.

"Useless!" said the X-chara maliciously, sending more pulses of dark numbers towards the distracted Tadase. Amu jumped in the way, blocking with her pink pompoms. Apparently, she had done her chara-nari without me noticing. But I didn't care. All that existed was darkness... dark...

"Tadase!" said Kukai, "We need to take care of the X-chara first. Then we can snap Miyuki out of it!" Tadase turned to look at Kukai, then stood up and nodded. The chara, now surrounded with all focus on it, backed up, only to find its back against the blackboard. It tried to make a dash over Nadeshiko's head.

"NO YOU DON'T!" shouted Nadeshiko, chara-changing. A long staff with a small knife-like blade at the end appeared in her hands, and she used the flat of the blade to knock the x-chara back to where it had been. It was slightly dazed, so Amu seized the opportunity.

"Negative heart, lock on!" she made a heart shape with her hands and her waves of good energy shot towards the X-chara. A black shell formed around it, which then turned back to the normal creamy-white a heart's egg should be. It floated back into Mai, who was laying on the floor next to the toppled desks. She stayed where she was, still unconscious.

And now, they turned their attention to me. Tadase bent down on his knees, grabbed my shoulders, and looked into my eyes. "Miyuki-san, please snap out of it." His voice was calm, but his gaze was intense. Slowly, I noticed his eyes. I stared in to them a few seconds. I noticed they were sort of an odd color, for eyes...

And then I was free of the spell. I shook my head, trying to remember what just happened. I could remember that I had been hit by that x-chara's energy, but after that... it was vague. I knew that the chara had been cleansed, but other than that, I could remember very little. The only thing that stood out in my mind was that feeling. The feeling of absolute hopelessness. I know I had more or less seen all that had happened, but I hadn't been paying attention at all.

Then I realized that Tadase's hands were still on my shoulders, and he was still staring intently at me. I blushed and looked back into his eyes. "Thanks." I said. He let go, and I felt really awkward. He had been so close... practically as close as Ikuto when I first met him. But now I was ashamed with myself, not because of that, but because I was so lame. Was I really so weak that I was the only one stupid enough to get hit by that thing?

"What was that? What did it hit me with?" I asked. Not like they could give me an explanation that really matched actually experiencing it. I stood up, and everyone gathered around me. I guess they were probably worried. Perhaps I should've been touched, but I was too annoyed at myself for my weakness. My back was extremely sore. I'd bet it'd be pretty badly bruised for the next few days.

"Some sort of hopeless energy. It makes whoever it hits feel horrible." said Nadeshiko. "But, I guess you could've figured that much out on your own."

_Yeah, I kinda did figure it out. _I thought. They could've at least given me some warning; until I got hit, I hadn't had any idea that X-charas could do anything like that. "Anyway, let me wake up Mai."

I walked over to the fallen girl, then realized she might be understandably confused if she woke up on the floor with desks toppled over right next to her. We righted the desks, then did our best to set her back in a desk without her waking up. Once she was correctly positioned, I shook her shoulder. She groaned a bit, but didn't respond. I shook her harder, almost knocking her back out of the desk. I heard Yaya chuckling behind me. I guess I probably looked pretty funny, trying to get sleeping beauty here to wake up. Once I felt her starting to react by leaning away from my grip, I let go. She finally opened her eyes, and looked around to see all the guardians standing around her.

"Huh?" she said, bewilderment and sleepiness in her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Oh, I, uh... we found you up here. I guess you'd fallen asleep during your math lesson." I said.

"Wh-where's Nikaido-sensei?" she asked me.

I shrugged in reply. "But I don't think you really need to take these after school lessons. You can normally get what we're learning just fine if you get just a little bit of extra explanation. I'm always here to help during study hall. Plus, math isn't the only subject in the world. If you do a little bit worse in it, than it's probably not that important. Just go for your strengths instead." I was trying to cheer her up. We didn't need her X-chara on the rampage again.

"Uh, yeah... I guess you're right." she smiled, as if she realizing she had been silly to worry about it so much.

"Of course I'm right." I said jokingly. "Anyway, you'd probably better get home and get some sleep. You definitely seem to need it, if you can't stay awake here."

"Yeah, I guess so." she got out from her desk. "Thanks for finding me and waking me up, guardians. I'll see you tomorrow, Miyuki-san!"

"Yep, I'll see you later!" I said as she walked out the door. She was either still too confused or too embarrassed to think about inviting me to walk home with her. I was kinda glad - I wanted to stay with the guardians a little longer. Unfortunately, they didn't have that in mind.

"Well, that was exciting." said Kukai, grinning and looking pointedly at me. "Do you think we should call it a day?"

"Yeah. Yaya is tired!" she said, not sounding tired at all.

"A baby does need her rest." said Pepe knowingly from Yaya's shoulder.

And so we went back to the royal garden, grabbed our stuff, and made our way back to the front gate. As always, we waved goodbye before heading our separate ways. As everyone else was leaving, I stayed at the gate and asked Amu quietly, "Hey, Amu-san, would you like to go get some ice cream with me? I think there's a good place a couple blocks away." I was really kinda embarrassed. I mean, I was just asking her out of the blue if she would go get ice cream with me.

"Yeah, yeah Amu-chan! Let's go get ice cream!" said Ran.

"Ice cream sounds tasty, desu~!" Su said.

Amu smiled at me. "Sure, sounds like fun. Except... I'm kinda broke right now."

"What's going on?" Said Nadeshiko suddenly from behind Amu. It was as if she had just appeared from behind Amu. I hadn't even seen her coming. I had thought that she was already on her way home, like the other three guardians. Amu visibly jumped and backed up against the gate, totally freaked out.

"Amu-chan, it's just me." said Nadeshiko kindly and in an ever so slightly mocking manner. She turned to me and whispered (just loud enough that Amu could hear it, too), "She's really kind of a scaredy cat."

"I-I-I am not a scaredy cat!" said Amu. I was already laughing my head off. Despite the fact that Nadeshiko had surprised me, too, Amu's reaction had been priceless. "Hey! It's not funny! I was just... surprised. That's all!" said Amu. It took me a while to get a hold of myself and stop laughing.

Once I had managed to stop chuckling, Nadeshiko said, "So you guys are going to get some ice cream? Do you mind if I come?"

"How did she know they were going to get ice cream?" said Miki suspiciously.

"Maybe she's been listening into the whole conversation, desu~." Su said.

"That sounds an awful lot like eavesdropping..." said Amu, slightly weirded out by the fact that that's probably what had happened.

"What were you saying?" asked Temari suddenly yet politely from behind Amu's three shugo charas.

"AH!"

"Eek, desu!"

"H-how in the heck did she get there?" shouted Ran, Su, and Miki respectively as they jumped and turned to face Temari. One of Miki's eyelids was twitching at corner, as if she was totally shocked by the appearance.

"BOO!" Shouted Azami from right behind them, using the first scare as a distraction so she could get behind them unnoticed.

"AH!" exclaimed Ran again as she turned around.

"Not nice, desu~!" complained Su.

Miki just turned around rapidly and stayed silent, eyes wide. She looked almost traumatized. I couldn't help but laugh, even harder than when Nadeshiko had scared Amu.

"Did- you two- plan that?" I gasped out to Azami and Temari between laughs.

Azami, who was laughing (but not quite as hysterically) replied, "Nope. I just saw the opportunity and took it." She smiled mischievously. I laughed even harder, and so did Amu and Nadeshiko.

"Hey! It's not funny!" said Ran, though everyone basically ignored her. With all of us laughing together, it took us even longer to compose ourselves. Eventually, we did get ourselves under control, and started walking to the ice cream shop I was thinking of. After that round of laughter, I even offered to buy for everyone. I had about ten dollars with me, which would hopefully be enough. I didn't mind losing the money too much, since I would be getting a weekly salary of much more starting soon.

Once we got there, we each ordered a single-scoop cone. Both Amu and I ended up getting chocolate, and Nadeshiko got strawberry.

"So, why is it that you wanted to get an ice cream all of a sudden, Miyuki-san?" asked Nadeshiko in her always kind manner. I nearly spat out my current mouthful of ice cream. I hadn't just come here on a whim. How she knew this wasn't just some spur-of-the-moment thing, I don't know. In truth, I had still been depressed from the x-egg attack. All the laughing and now sugar was helping, but the feeling was still there - just not dominating. I seriously don't think I had ever felt that kind of hopelessness before today, and it almost scared me. It wasn't a nice feeling, and now that it was there, it seemed like it would never go away. Even with all the joking and talking, I could still feel it.

"Well," I said, "I just thought that it would be cool to hang out for a bit. And I like ice cream." In truth, in addition to cheering up, I had wanted to talk to Amu about Ikuto. I wasn't sure if she had ever met him, which I guess is why I thought she would be good to talk to. Since she was also fairly new to the guardians, maybe she didn't have such a heavy prejudice against him. I wanted to find out about Ikuto from a less biased source.

"Oh? Is that all, Miyuki-san?" asked Nadeshiko. _Am I wearing a sign that says 'I've got a problem,' or something?_

I sighed. I guess there was no harm in telling. "Well, I've just been feeling kinda... weird since the x-egg incident. Let's just say I didn't want to have to go home without anyone except my annoying little chara to talk to." For that, I got a nice whip on the arm with her tail. It seriously hurt - she had some power behind that thing. I could already see a welt forming. _As long as her tail isn't as poisonous as her nails, then I'll be fine. _

"Hmm..." said Nadeshiko, thinking hard. "Are you sure you're not just imagining it?"

You know, I came here for a nice talk with Amu about Ikuto. So how'd we get onto the subject of my over-active imagination? It kinda annoyed me, since Nadeshiko was more or less calling me a liar. Or at least that's how I saw it.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining it. It's like this little nagging feeling inside of me." I realized how weak I was probably sounding. I mean, I was complaining about a _feeling_? Really? I just kept on going lower today. And with that thought, the nagging increased to where the feeling started being really depressing. But I hid this pulse of dark energy. "Then again, you're probably right. I _do _have an over-active imagination."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." said Amu, trying to laugh it off. "I mean, I remember that Yaya got hit by this one x-chara attack a week or so ago, but she snapped out of it quickly. She didn't mention anything like this." Nadeshiko made no more mention of it after that, but her mind seemed preoccupied from that point on.

Eventually, we finished off the last of our cones and headed home, me doing my best to cover up how I was still feeling. As I walked back to my house, I asked Azami, "You feel it too, right? It isn't just me, is it?"

Azami shook her head. "I mean, I know the feeling from when we got hit by the x-attack, but it went away once you snapped out of it."

"Oh..." I said. This didn't make me feel better. Maybe I actually _was _imagining it. "It's just that... What if this isn't right, what I'm doing with Easter? I'll probably end up hurting all my friends who tried to protect me back there. Maybe I'll end up hurting Mai, or Amu, or Nadeshiko, or... or..."

"Or Ikuto?" asked Azami, for once totally serious.

I blushed and looked downward. _Had _I been about to say his name? I looked up again, angrily, after I felt the familiar slap of Azami's tail on my ear.

"Ow! That one really _did _hurt." I complained.

"Shut up!" Wow. This was harsh, even from Azami. "You can't think like that! A dragon isn't concerned about her feelings, and a dragon doesn't blush when talking about a boy. A dragon doesn't doubt what she's doing. Ever. If she does, then I..."

"Then you what?" I asked, concerned. Azami never acted like this.

"If you doubt yourself," said Azami, dead serious, "Then I disappear. There's no way you can convince me that you really don't want the power that Easter can offer you. If you want it, then take it, whatever the cost. A dragon can have friends, but if they get in her way, then they aren't your friends."

"But what if they're defending what they believe is right? They won't be trying to go against me on purpose - just against the people I'm fighting for."

I received another hard whack, this time in the back of the neck. "You've said it yourself, that nobleness is stupid. That's what fighting for what you believe is right _is. _That's nobleness at its they get in the way of your power, it doesn't matter what they're fighting for. Do you want power?"

"Yes... but..." I said.

"I didn't ask for any of your comments! I just asked if you wanted power! Do you?!?" said Azami. She was like a drill sergeant. If I'd thought about it, I probably looked really weird, having a full-on argument with my chara in the middle of a sidewalk.

"Yes."

"Then if you're a real dragon, don't worry about the consequences. Do what you want, when you want, and if the guardians hate you for it, so be it. Ikuto seems to be getting along just fine in a similar position." Azami said.

And just like that, the nagging feeling was gone. Whether it had been some doubt inside myself or my imagination, I no longer felt it. I knew what I was going to do, and it didn't matter if the guardians were my enemies. I'd always wanted to be on the evil side. I just had to get through tomorrow, and I'd finally be able to fulfill my wish, be it for good or for ill. I didn't want Azami to disappear anymore than she did, and if I wanted her around, that meant I couldn't doubt my desires. I had to commit myself to one thing:

No matter what would happen, I would have to stay a true dragon.

* * *

Okay, quick note to reader. If I mention what day it is (like in this chapter, I say it's Thursday in the first paragraph), it is to be assumed to be that very next Thursday. In other words, unless I say something like 'it was a couple weeks after the event of the last chapter', then you guess I'm not skipping any large amounts of time. Just thought I'd mention it, but I figure you guys already have it figured out.

Thanks for reading once again! Special thanks to Kitty Obsessive Disorder and Water Ichigo-chan, who continue to be the great reviewers. KOD, you have no idea (well, you actually probably do) how great it was for me to read that you called me a great author. It totally made my day, and I'm really glad to know you enjoy the story that much. Also, quick thanks to cutenaruko38 for favoriting my story. Anyway, please review!

Also, I am happy to announce that my story has now surpassed the 40,000 word mark! So if you now click the sort by length button and go to 40,000 words, this is one of only 14 shugo chara fanfics that have made it to that landmark! *crowd roars and applauds in background* Yes, thank you, thank you. I'm hoping on going and trying to make mine the longest one in the Shugo Chara section. I think it's very likely, since the current longest is only 84,000 words long, and I'm not seeing an end to my fanfic anytime soon. Anyway, I was just so proud of myself. I want to let everyone know that this is the first time I've ever gotten seriously motivated about writing. I've always had story ideas in my head, some of which I would get on paper or something, but none of which I seriously committed myself to working on whenever I had free time, like this story. I'm loving writing it, and I seriously think that this story might be a turning point in my creative life (which is the only part of my life that I actually enjoy, since I don't have/want a social life, I hate my school life (since it IS school), and my family life consists of me sitting at a computer all day, shouting at my parents through doors when it would be so much easier for me just open the door and talk. So, yeah... It might be (and probably is) a turing point for my entire life. Perhaps the story in itself isn't - I feel much prouder about totally unique stories, not fanfics - but the fact that I have finally gotten motivated about writing is.


	12. Power

My heart was pounding as I walked through the front doors of Easter's building. I think I was even more excited - though perhaps a bit less scared - than I had been on my first visit to this place. If there was anything that planetarium guy had prophecized that was true, it had to involve this. The 'not being able to change my path' sounded like it more or less fit what I was going to do. After this fateful Saturday, I doubted there would be any turning back. No matter what I might end up doing after today, this would probably change everything.

But I was a dragon now. What might happen shouldn't concern me - only what is happening.

I had gone for one of my more common looks. I was wearing a black t-shirt, layered over a very dark blue long-sleeve shirt - matching the tight-fitting jean shorts I was also wearing. Going for perhaps a slightly more punk look, I had a thin but noticeable chain dangling between two of the belt loops. It didn't quite go with the entire theme of the outfit I was wearing, but it made me feel stronger and more rebellious. Feelings like those could come in handy today. Not to mention, it did kinda go with my slightly punk-like, purple-streaked hair. For shoes, I had on some black sandals, with small leathery straps that tied nearly up to my knee. I'd even gone to the trouble of putting some black nail paint onto all my nails, something I didn't normally bother with. When I'd looked in the mirror this morning, I'd thought the outfit made me look quite intimidating. At least, as intimidating as someone as young as me can be.

I was surprised to see that the other secretary - who Azami and I had been looking forward to bothering once again - was gone. In her place was a more reasonable-looking brunette. _Maybe she took a day of vacation, knowing I'd be back. _I thought, laughing inwardly.

"Hello. Welcome to Easter. May I help you?" asked the secretary courteously, looking up from her work. Couldn't secretaries come up with any better greeting?

"Yeah." I said, trying to stay calm. Nonetheless, I caught my legs shaking a bit. I managed to calm myself before continuing, "I believe I have an appointment today - my name is Yamada Miyuki."

"Yes, yes, of course," said the secretary, smiling, "You're wanted on the twenty-third floor. You'll want to go to the door marked, 'laboratory 5.' It should be..." she glanced down at some papers on her desk. Presumably a map of the building. "It should be down the hallway to your left as you exit the elevator."

"Thanks." I said, walking over to the elevators. Just before I pressed the 'up' buttong, I turned back to the brunette woman. "What happened to the other secretary?" I asked. Not like I was particularly concerned about that woman's welfare, but I was really curious.

"Oh. She was complaining about ghosts or something, and that her job didn't pay well enough for what she had to put up with." said the brunette, her smile fading into a more thoughtful look. I took a quick glance at Azami, trying hard not to smile as she started to crack up. The secretary continued, "She turned in her resignation form first thing last Sunday morning, and I was hired to start taking her shifts. However, I'm happy to say that I have had no encounters with anything supernatural that I know of." I smiled back at her before pressing the button and disappearing into the elevator. And, just like a week ago, that was when both of us started laughing.

"She actually quit!" I said, barely managing to gasp in some air before continuing, "Just because of a couple of scratches! What a wuss!" Of course, this probably wasn't a very funny event. No matter how... disagreeable she had been, she had probably been really freaked out by the scratches. And neither losing nor leaving a job is a fun experience. But neither of us cared. We both calmed ourselves down considerably when the doors opened and I stepped out into a well-lit hallway. Unlike my previous visit to one of this building's floors, this story was considerably more cheery. Hallways extended to both sides of me, each with doors along it. In front of me, a short hallway connected to a slightly lobby-like area (though it was obviously smaller than the main lobby downstairs). I headed down the passade to my left, easily finding lab number five. I steeled myself for what was about to happen, but the merriment from the elevator remained. No matter how long I stood outside the door, taking deep breaths, the thought of that woman's outraged and confused face from last week kept popping up, making me want to giggle. Eventually, I simply gave up trying to compose myself, and knocked on the door.

Or, rather, I almost knocked on the door. It opened before I could actually make contact, and I almost ended up hitting some very scientist-looking guy in the chest. He wore a white lab coat, and a somewhat cheesy smile was plastered on his face.

"Oh, you must be Miyuki-san! Please come in! Our boss even came down for this, which he hardly ever does - you shoud feel honored!" said the scientist in a very complementing way. He sounded like he would do anything he could to suck up to those with power. However, even though he was working for Easter, he didn't seem evil. At all. His posture, his was of speaking, all indicated almost a... almost a... a goofball. _If this is as evil as Easter gets, perhaps I should've stayed with the guardians. Tadase seems more evil than this dweeb._

"I can hear everything you are saying." said the man I had met last Saturday from further inside the room. His tone was grim, as if he didn't want to be messing around with this obvious flattery. He stepped up behind the scientist, who tried to make himself as small as possible.

The man (whose name I still didn't know) smiled. It certainly wasn't kind, but nor did it seem completely cruel. I wasn't sure what to think of it. "Please come in." he said. The scientist scurried back inside and I followed. The room I entered was a large room, with all of the walls covered with high-tech looking equipment. At one end, instead of being covered with gadgets, the wall had a wide window installed in it, showing a small room beyond. The room was bare, except for a small, dark crystal on a pedastal-like object in the center of the room. A very solid-looking door connected the two rooms, and I guessed that the room was fairly soundproof. Other than the manager of Easter and the dweeby scientist, there were two other scientists in lab coats. One was a woman, who seemed to me to be radically similar to the dweeb, for some reason or another. The other one was a big, burly-looking man. I was surprised that he could even find a labcoat his size. Maybe it had had to be specially tailored.

Turning back to the manager, I decided to say something reckless. The slightly wicked merriment from the elevator was still making me a lot less serious than I should have been. "Of course, I am more than simply honored that someone as high up as you would go to the trouble of that long ride down the elevator just to see me. I am humbled." I did an overly elaborate bow, as if my sarcasm wasn't apparent enough. As I stood up again, I could tell that my lack of real respect had not gone unnoticed. However, he remained as if nothing had happened. I'll admit that I was ever so slightly impressed - he could take goads well.

He smiled back, pretending to take my words at face value. "I simply wanted to verify that we were still in agreement as to our terms, as well as to make sure that everything went smoothly."

"I still agree to everything we agreed to a week ago, if that's what you mean." I said.

"Excellent." Replied the man. "Then I suppose we can get started." He turned to the dweeby scientist, who didn't quite comprehend for a moment.

"Oh, right! We'll get everything set up!" said the scientist, as all three of them frantically went about turning knobs and messing with the numerous intricate pieces of machinary around the room. The manager and I stood in awkward silence in the center of the room as the machines whirred around us. After about five minutes of hustling and bustling, the dweeby scientist approached me.

"We'll need your chara to go into that room. Once we close the- Ouch!" he exclaimed as Azami rapped him hard on one of his hands with her tail.

"You can talk directly to me, you know. And I'd prefer to be called 'Empress Azami,' rather than just be referred to as someone's chara." said the dragon as she came to hover in front of the scientist's face. I nearly burst out laughing again, but managed to hold it in. Who in the world would call Azami an Empress? Unless this man had absolutely no self dignity whatsoever.

The scientist was apparently conflicted between acting how he was expected to act and addressing someone a couple inches high as 'empress'. He turned imploringly to the manager, who simply glared. "A-all right, Empress Azami," said the scientist, his hesitation and dislike at the title clear. Azami flew contentedly onto my shoulder as the unhappy scientist continued. "We'll need you to go into that room. Once we close the door, you will need to land on the pedestal that the crystal is on. Once you are ready, you'll need to place both of your hands on it. We're not entirely sure what will happen, and it may hurt or feel unpleasant, but you'll need to keep your hands on it until it is obvious that nothing else will happen. All right?"

Azami stood on my shoulder, crossed her arms, and glared at the scientist.

"Oh, all right! Do you understand all of that, Empress Azami?" said the scientist, relenting.

She smiled, getting a lot of joy out of being called an Empress. "Crystal clear, my loyal commoner." she said. Of course, I was the only other one to get the reference to Kiseki. I nearly cracked up again, and this time, a laugh did escape me. I quickly stopped myself, afraid I would break into a laughing fit. The manager looked at me questioningly.

"Excuse me, your excellency." I said, continuing on the formalities Azami had introduced. It's just that mine were very much sarcasm-filled. "Please, let us continue." I walked over to the door, opening it so Azami could get inside.

As the door closed and Azami floated over to the crystal, the woman scientist turned to me. "You may experience some... discomfort as well. You'll need to try and keep control of yourself. Can you handle that?" I gave her a look that spoke loud and clear. Of course I could handle it! My only problem was why Azami was in there, and not me? I thought _I _was the one getting the power. Then again, I do suppose Azami was just an extension of me.

I turned my attention back to Azami as she landed on the pedastal. The scientist went back to her work, adjusting some more machines and recording some numbers that appeared on monitors. Azami glanced through the glass at me, and I could see in her eyes no fear, and no anxiety. The only feelings in her eyes were those of excitement and aniticipation. It was a look that I wished I could carry more often. Even now, my heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest, so hard was it beating.

She held my gaze for only a couple seconds. Then, she turned to the stone, reached out both hands, and put her palms flat onto it.

The first thing the both of us felt was exceedingly strange. If you know what having your breath knocked out of you feels like, and you can try to imagine what that would feel like if it was part of the very essence of you being pulled oud out instead of air being knocked out, then you might have a pretty good idea. I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath as I clenched my fists. This hurt. Perhaps it wasn't quite physical pain, but it hurt in a different way. And I could sense more than see that what Azami was feeling was ten times worse. I managed to look up from my position on the floor, and it seemed almost like... almost like a purple fog that surrounded Azami was being sucked into the dark, shadowy crystal.

But the sight of the violet fog was gone the next moment, as well as the pain. Then pure exhileration flowed through Azami and me. If I had to describe this, it was like the feeling of adrenaline rushing through my veins, giving me the feeling like you can do anything in a moment of peril or fear. Except this feeling was more substantial. It felt like the energy had an almost physical presence, settling itself deep inside my chest. And with it, I could feel that dark feeling of the other day, after I had been hit with the X-egg attack. Whatever it had been - fear, doubt, sadness, guilt, or some other emotion - it was back. And I could tell that this time, it really wasn't going to leave. But this emotion was forgotten as the dark energy flowed through my body. _This _is what real power feels like. And despite that negative feeling I now had, I felt better than I had in a long time. In fact, this was probably the best I had ever felt in my life. I smiled. It was a smile filled with pure joy - something very different from simple happiness. I looked up, and saw that Azami was smiling, too. This time, the fog wasn't leaving her; rather, a thick, dark cloud was extending from the crystal and this time being absorbed into her. Like the first feeling we felt, I could tell that what was happening to her was probably many times more powerful than what I was experiencing. Perhaps I hadn't envied that the first time, but now I wished I was in her position.

And, as suddenly as it had come, the feeling left. No, I take that back. The feeling of it rushing through my body was gone. But now, I could feel all the energy, buried somewhere deep inside myself. It's very source was the dark feeling within me, and I could feel it smouldering away there, just as powerful as it had been a moment ago. The power didn't pulse or beat. I almost imagined it more as a steady vibration, a sort of hum inside me.

"Are you alright?" asked the woman as she approached me, reaching out her hand to help me up from where I was kneeling.

I ignored her hand, instead pushing myself up from the floor. I saw that my legs and arms were shaking, this time not with fear or aniticipation, but with excitement and amazment.

_But I don't want to be shaking. It makes me look like I'm weak. _Perhaps this was a stupid thing to think at the moment, but it had an effect. I felt the power spread throughout my body, stopping my shaking. It wasn't surging through my body like before. This was just a tiny fraction of the power. Then it withdrew back to its hiding place. The dark emotion didn't bother me too much: I was too excited.

The big scientist opened the door, and Azami zoomed out at top speed, flying over to me and occupying herself with flying around my head. Neither of us had to say anything to the other. Both of us were too absorbed with our new-found power.

"So? How are you feeling?" asked the manager. His wicked smile - which I remembered well from a week ago - was back. But this time, I wasn't concerned with it. Even if he had tricked me, he obviously couldn't understand this power. I couldn't imagine there being anything that could stop this tremendous energy within me. If he betrayed me, it would be his mistake.

I smiled back at him, quite a bit of wickedness in my own grin. "I feel amazing. I can feel the power within me. I feel like I can do anything."

"So are you ready to begin filling out your part of the deal?" he asked.

"Sure. What point would be there in me having this power if I couldn't use it for something?" I answered. Azami had stopped flying, and she was now standing defiantly on my shoulder.

The man nodded, as if he completely agreed, then reached into a pocket. He pulled out five twenty-dollar bills, as well as a very new-looking cellphone. "That's your first paycheck," he said as he handed both the money and the cell phone to me, "as well as how I want you to keep in touch. The phone has unlimited minutes and texting. You can use it for whatever you want, but you must have it on and with you at all times, and you must answer it if we of Easter are calling. This will be our main way of communicating with you. All right?"

"Yeah, yeah." I said, somewhat distracted. I was looking at the cellphone. I'd wanted one for a long time, and this one was perfect. Not only was I getting unlimited talking and texting for free, but it actually had a full slide-down keyboard for texting. _And_ it was my favorite shade of violet.

Then I realized that Mr. Manager here wasn't done talking, and that he was waiting for me to look up. Once I did so, he got right to the point. "Can you tell if you have any special powers, now that you have this energy?"

I thought for a minute, trying my best to sense the power inside of me. "I dunno." I replied. "What kind of power do you mean?"

"You would know it if you could use it." said the manager.

I looked at Azami, and she nodded. I felt the familiar rush of a chara-change, with the added boost of the dark energy as it began to circulate as well. My eyes and the orb of my dragon pendant still turned red, but I was in for one more surprise. Now, my nails had also grown, to the point where they were thick, long, and pointed. An almost identical set to the talon-like nails that Azami herself had.

And the dark energy flowing through me gave me an almost instinctual feeling. Without really thinking, I pulled a single strand of hair from my head, pinching one end between my thumb and forefinger. Instead of drooping down, as a hair normally should, it stood straight up. I focused on the end of the hair, and the end that was standing up in the air began to burn. It didn't burn quickly, as a strand of hair normally does. Instead, it was more like a cigarette, the burning end more like a pinprick of ember than an actual flame. An exceedingly thin trail of smoke rose from the burning hair. This is what I was interested in. I turned to the dweeby scientist, who backed up against some machinary. The other two scientists managed to run behind me, so as not to be in the line of fire. And then I blew. The thin trail of smoke double, tripled, and quadrupled in amount by the second as it glided quickly, directly towards the scientist. A sweet, almost citrus-like smell filled the room, reminding me of the smell of fruit smoothies, or something like that. It was a very pleasant smell.

The scientist was enveloped with the smoke within a matter of seconds. Despite the now large amount of smoke, it was very thin. Nothing more than a slight haze in the air, unless you were looking for it. The fear faded from the dweeby scientist's face, replaced by a look of uncaring. Almost exactly like the look I had seen on Mai's face when she had had her X-egg, and I imagined that it was also very similar to the look I had had on my face when the X-chara had attacked me. In fact, I guessed that was more or less what I had done: an attack using that X-energy. I dropped the hair, which (as soon as it left my hand) showed no sign whatsoever of being burned. In the last few seconds before my chara-change disappeared, I noticed how much better I felt - stronger, faster, with sharper senses. That had to be another advantage of the X-energy.

As soon as the other two saw that I was back to normal (if you can really call my normal, 'normal'), they rushed over to their fallen comrade, shaking him. He quickly reverted back to his original self, just as I had snapped out of my own trance a couple days ago.

"Excellent." said the manager guy, and I turned back to face him. "I see you are harnessing the X-egg power for your own attacks. Can you do anything else?"

I smiled insolently, then took to looking at my now normal nails. "Maybe." I said. What did he think those massive talons were for? Decoration? I knew there was something I could do with those, other than just scratch someone.

The man appeared annoyed at my increasing amount of disrespect for him, but he continued to keep his temper. "Your first objective was to get close to the guardians. As I understand it, you have so far been able to do that. You must continue this, and keep their trust. Until I - or another Easter official - say otherwise, you are to do anything to keep their trust, even if it means fighting Easter directly. In addition to this, I want you to begin using that power as much as possible. We believe that this power might have the power to flush the embryo out of hiding. If you do happen to see the embryo, catch it at all costs. Most of the time, you will probably get nothing but X-eggs. Capture these if you can, and destroy them if they prove too difficult to capture. Is this understood?"

"I can understand it clearly enough, I think." I said.

"Very well." said the manager. "Please report to Nikaido after school on Monday. You will take your orders from him, for the time being."

My jaw dropped open. "Wait a minute. What? What do you mean, report to Nikaido?"

Now the manager smiled again. After all my insolent talk, he was probably enjoying shocking me like this. "I mean exactly what I said. Nikaido is an operative for Easter. He will tell you what to do."

I suppose I probably should've guessed. Nikaido had connections to all the X-egg incidents I had witnessed so far. With that girl from Kukai's class, we had encountered Nikaido on our way over to help her. Mai had been taking private math tutoring sessions from him. And now that I thought about it, soon after sensing the X-egg that me and all the rest of the guardians had gone after on Tuesday (the one that made me late getting home, giving me the ability to make a convincing lie about seeing Ikuto around my house), I seemed to remember seeing Nikaido entering the school. I had been too busy at the time to really take any notice. Still, it came as a shock. What were evil villains coming to these days? Klutzy, kind-hearted teachers? Or was there much more to Nikaido then I realized?

It took me a few moments to recover from my shock. "But I've got a guardian meeting after school on Monday. They'll find it suspicious if I don't show." I said.

"Then go after your guardian meeting. I'll make sure that Nikaido is still there at that time. Any more objections?" he asked.

"No..." I said, my mind still tii preoccupied with the concept of evil Nikaido to think of any witty response.

"Good." He said. "Please, let me escort you to the lobby." _Like I need escorting down an elevator. _I thought, but let him hold open the lab door for me anyway. Almost as soon as the door had closed behind me and we had started heading down the hallway towards the elevators (with the manager guy whose name I still didn't know leading the way), I heard a noise behind me. I turned around just in time to see about a dozen X-eggs burst out of a door further down the hallway behind me. They seemed like they moved like a flock, none of them getting too far away from the others. They spotted me soon enough.

"Useless!" they shouted. As one, they sent waves of dark energy to me. Before I could react, it hit me. But this time, I stayed in control of myself. Not only that, but it seemed like that dark part of me now buried in my chest was absorbing the energy as it hit my body. Power coursed through my veins once again, even more that it had during my chara-change. The power just welled up within me, like I was a dam holding back a massive amount of energy, that would crush anyone in an instant. I wanted to get those little X-eggs for daring to attack me. But that was more like an excuse. An excuse for my true want: to use this power.

"My own heart - unlock!" I said, as I made that same hand motion as Amu had when I had seen her chara-nari. I don't know why I said it - everything from that point on seemed almost instinctual. Instead of the light that I had seen shine from Amu, a dark cloud covered me, completely concealing me from view. I could still see everything around me, though. I reached out my hands, and Azami floated down until she was hovering right above them. She dramatically opened her wings, her gaze intense. Then, she folded her wings as her egg formed around her. With the egg hovering right above my hands, I pulled it towards me, bringing it up to my chest. It seemed to pass into me, and the energy within me grew even more intense as all of Azami's energy flowed into me. I felt more than saw new clothes form around me as my regular ones disappeared. Last, but most importantly, I felt two things pop from my back, where my shoulder blades were. At the same time, I also felt something else pop from the base of my spine, and two more somethings sprout from the top of my head. I knew immediately what they all were, and my heart soared. Then the cloud was gone, and to finish off the process, I shouted -

"Chara-nari: Dark Dragon!"

The power was constant now, and easily accessible. The X-eggs stayed where they were, warily examining my change. I took a moment to appreciate my new look. As was the case with my chara-change, my eyes were red, the orb of my necklace was red, and my nails were very lethal-looking. But that was more or less the only things that stayed the same. For an outift, I was wearing a completely black dress,which cut off just below my knees. Instead of the traditional dress, which is held up with straps around the shoulders, this dress actually tied behind the neck. My upper back was left completely exposed due to this style of dress, leaving room for the most awesome part of my transformation to poke from my shoulder blades: a pair of black, leathery, dragon wings. Due to the proximity of the walls, my wings were partly folded against my back. I longed to get somewhere open where I could stretch them. I could feel the two, slender horns positioned fron the top of my head, but I had now way of telling what they looked like without finding a mirror. My hair was the same as it always was - it wasn't as short as a crew cut or anything, but my hair was too short for much else to be done with it. It was still a dark blonde color, with the streaks of puple making it look very vibrant.

My long, sharp nails were painted black, just like they had been in my normal form today. Actually, no. They weren't painted black - they actually _were_ black. A tail sprouted from my dress where the end of my spine was beneath the dress. Though I could see that the tail sprouted from the dress itself, it was also connected to me. It was no more separated from me than any other part of my body, just like Azami's own tail. This tail, unlike Azami's puprle one, was covered with hard-looking black scales. To wrap it all up, you might expect me to mention my shoes, but the fact was that I had none. Instead, my feet were left bare, showing long, claw-like black toenails to match my fingernails. I felt amazing. It wasn't just the energy flowing through me - there was more to it than that. I felt liberated in this new form, as if I had been born to have wings, a tail, horns, and claws. I loved it, as well as the outfit that went with it (which was odd for me, considering that I never cared too terribly much about style). And even more than that, the feeling that I now was what I really wanted to be. Azami's attitude flowed through me along with her power, and I didn't have a care in the world. I had the feeling that now, I could do whatever I want, whenever I want. I still had control of myself, so I wouldn't go do something stupid just because of that, but the feeling was incredible. _This_ was what it felt like to truly be myself, or at least myself as I really wanted to be.

Now, I turned my attention back to the X-eggs that had dared attack me. They backed up warily, preparing to run. It was almost a comical sight - a dozen little eggs, clustered together in fear of me. I transfixed one with my gaze. While the others continued to back up, this one stayed put. It was helpless beneath the glare of my red eyes. I advanced, walking until the egg was right in front of my face. The poor thing was shaking, but unable to run from me. This would have been the perfect time for the other eggs to run, but they were hanging back, apparently watching to see what I could do. I reached up, grabbed the egg from the air, and began to squeeze. The egg, seeing its danger, started squirming, to no avail. I continued to tighten my grip, until the egg shattered in my hands. It didn't bother me in the least that I had just completely crushed someone's dreams. If they were able to let go of their dreams, then perhaps they even deserved this. But I didn't need justification. I was a dragon. I had wanted to crush the egg, so I had crushed the egg. It was as simple as that.

Now the other eggs scrambled (if you'll forgive my pun) to get away from me, bumping into each other in the process. But I didn't let them leave.

"Let's do it, Miyuki-chan." said Azami evilly from inside me. That was a weird feeling. It was more like her voice had just sort of reverberated through me. But I knew what she meant, and I was ready.

"Hopeless Haze" I murmered, as a small flame appeared in the palm of my hand. Except, it wasn't a normal flame. The flame was not orange or yellow or red, nor did it give off any true light. The flame was varying shades of black, and though it seems impossible, it actually shone with darkness. A small tendril of black smoke came up from this flame. I blew it towards the still confused X-eggs, and the smoke engulfed them. It was very similar to the smoky attack of my chara-change. The smoke had that same fruity smell, and even though this smoke was black rather than grey, it was still very hard to see. It seemed to calm the X-eggs down. They began to float carelessly through the air, not really paying attention to anything around them. I hadn't exactly been expecting this, but it worked. Instead of destroying them, I decided to start on the mission I had been assigned from Easter. I gathered them up in one of my arms, while I kept the smoke-giving flame going with my other hand. That way, they wouldn't try to escape. The smoke itself seemed to follow my intent, clinging in the air around the X-eggs, with not a wisp going anywhere else.

"Very impressive." said the manager. He had been watching from behind me this whole time. "I don't know how that could have happened - our stock of X-eggs is usually very well contained."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't kid with me. You were just testing me." I said. It was too much of a coincidence that the X-eggs just happened to break from their room right after I'd gotten my powers. "Anyway," I continued, "Do you have a bag I can stuff these guys in? I don't want to carry them around all day." I practically had them cradled in my arm. They seemed soothed by the smell.

"Oh, here, here. We've got a bag." It was the grovelling, dweeby scientist. He and his colleagues had apparently been hiding in their precious lab, but had probably been listening to the whole thing. They gave me a large, cloth sack, which I tossed the eggs into. It was about a minute after I had tied off the top of the bag before they snapped out of their daze and began to struggle. But they couldn't get out of the bag. I wondered if it was made of something special, but I didn't bother to ask.

"Now how can you accuse me of staging something so dangerous as that?" asked the manager, in a tone that said that he was obviously the one who set it up. "You may leave now. There will be a car with driver waiting out front to drive you home. Remember to report to Nikaido on Monday after school. Try not to reveal your ability to chara-nari to the guardians if you can help it." He turned to leave, but I stopped him.

"Wait!" I said. I was still in my character transformation, and energy was still pumping through my body. I didn't want it to go away quite yet. "Can you point me to a window?"

While the manager looked angrily at me (apparently, he didn't like the question, for some reason or another), the female scientist answered. "If you go down the hallway and turn left, then walk all the way down, it meets up with another hallway with windows all the way along it." she said, trying to be helpful.

I smiled, ignoring the glare of Easter's manager. "Thanks." I said, before dashing down the hall down the route she had told me. I heard the manager yell at me to wait, finally losing his temper, but I didn't listen. Once I turned left I saw, at the end of a long hallway with more doors along it, a window. That was apparently where this hallway joined the windowed corridor. I dashed down, running at full speed towards the window. My mind was focused on only one thing: my wings. Though they were folded up now so as to not hit the walls as I ran, they would be large when extended. Azami cheered inside me, knowing what I was doing. I was running faster than I had ever run before, with more power than ever. This was the power from my chara-nari, as well as my recently acquired darker power. I lowered my head right before impact. My horns (which, though curved slightly, more or less stuck up vertically from the top of my head) were the first to make contact with the glass, their sharp points enough to break through. I crashed through the shattering glass, ignoring the cuts my arms and face were obtaining as I jumped out the window.

I had already dropped about five stories when instincts - or perhaps it was Azami - took over. I spread my wings, which immediately caught the air and started me gliding instead of falling. I lined myself up with the street below me (since if I'd kept going straight I would have hit the building across the street), and started flapping to gain altitude. Who knew how many people might be seeing this? But I didn't care. I gained speed and height quickly, and with very little effort. And then-

I made it above the buildings. _Now_ I could truly fly. The whole sky was open to me. Exhileration - so similar and yet so different than the excitement when Azami absorbed the X-egg power from the crystal - flowed through me. I soared through the sky, my tail acting almost as a rudder, easing turns and making flight even more enjoyable. I swooped over the business district, glided above some residential housing, and even circled around the huge building where I now went to school. My wings seemed to be more natural to me than my own legs or arms, and the feeling of the air rushing past them was more satisfying than... than.... than any other experience I could think of. Azami and I said nothing to each other, both of us totally enthralled in our experience. Apparently, even flight as a shugo chara was nothing compared to this. How we stayed in our chara-nari so long, I don't know. I suppose that I was pulling on reserves from the dark energy throughout the experience, because I'm fairly sure that it takes a lot of energy to keep a character transformation going. I had probably been flying for an hour or so when I did finally tire too much to continue. And when I say tired, I mean that I was beat. As enjoyable as it had been, flying for an hour in chara-nari was probably equivalent for jogging the same amount of time at a good speed non-stop. Possible, but on the first try very exhausting.

I flew to my house, landing on the front step as the character transformation faded. I managed to stumble through the door, only to come face to face with my mother. She was angry. _Whoops,_ I thought, _Did I forget to tell her that I would be gone for a while?_

"Where have you been this time!?!" she practically shrieked. Yep - I'd definitely forgotten to tell her.

I really was not in the mood to deal with an angry mother. I had just had an amazing first flight, and she was ruining my mood. Not to mention, I was tired. Azami, realizing how I was feeling, activated a chara-change. Though perhaps lessened due to my exhausted state, I could still feel the dark energy course through me. I powered my gaze, glaring directly into her eyes. I could feel that I had more control this time. A lot more control.

"I was just at a friend's house, mom." I said forcefully. My mom just stared back, nodding her head slightly in recognition. It was then that I realized just how much control the X-egg energy was giving me, and so I continued. "In fact, I'm going to be at friends' houses a lot more often. Just don't worry about me. You can keep cooking lunch and dinner for me, as well as act as you normally do, but you are going to leave me alone for the majority of the time. Got it?" She nodded vacantly, not even arguing. I felt ever so slightly guilty about this. I mean, this was my _mother._ And here I was, more or less telling her to keep on taking care of me, but to otherwise buzz off. The dark feeling in my chest, which had remained present but dormant during her flight, now grew. That guilty feeling seemed to expand inside of me. It wasn't enough for me to totally lose my common sense and take back my commands, but I didn't like feeling guilty.

I tore my glance from my mom, then went up to my room and practically crawled onto my bed. Azami floated sleepily onto my pillow, falling asleep almost immediately. It didn't take me much longer to doze off, but vague feelings made my rest uneasy. It's not so much that I had bad dreams, but it was like... like a darkness inside of me was constantly there, just waiting to be released. Like a prowling lion, constantly circlling until it sees the perfect opportunity to snatch its prey. Maybe I would come to regret this day. I didn't know yet. But like that stargazer - Amakawa Tsukasa, was it? - had predicted, I figured that it could be very hard to turn back or change paths from this day onward. Whether this was because I was tricked, or because I enjoyed this new power so much that I would never give it up, I didn't know. I had made my choice. Now all Azami and I could do was wait and see what it led to.

* * *

Wow. 7,257 words in that chapter. Longest chapter yet, if I remember correctly! Admittedly, I had been looking forward to writing this chapter for a while, which is probably why it ended up being so long.

Thanks so much to Vampiresweets and -MindControlisMyThing- for both reviewing and favoriting! Also thanks to Oshima zakura for favoriting! As always, I'm glad to know that people are liking my story.

However, one of Vampiresweets's reviews brought an issue to my attention that I thought I should mention. And that would be the whole good guy/bad guy thing, and which category Miyuki might end up under by the end of the story. I still don't know how this story is going to end, but I will tell you that it's probably not going to be purely happy ending. This could have to do with relationships, the good guy/bad guy thing, or even who remains alive by the end of the story, but don't be reading this and expect a happy ending. The last story I really got into writing (it was a short-story, for a class assignment), all seven of the characters died. (If you're interested in the story, go to arrowfoot[dot]deviantart[dot]com and read the story called 'Amber Eyes') If anyone reading this is one of those people who really hates sad or bad endings, then I will understand if you simply stop reading now. It's just that I always feel that any ending that ends with everyone happy is unrealistic. Yet again, I still don't know how this will end, and so perhaps it will be just one step away from a happy ending. Or maybe it will end horribly for everyone. I really don't know. I doubt it will be like that short story I was talking about, however, where everyone dies. Everyone ending unhappily is pretty unrealistic as well.

Please keep on reviewing! Tips and pointers as to how I might improve my writing is always helpful, and I always like reading the comments on my story! (admittedly, that's taking into consideration that I haven't got any negative comments yet, but still...)


	13. Nikaido: My Teacher AND My Boss?

"Hey! Miyuki-san!" Even when she was shouting, Nadeshiko managed to seem quiet. A unique skill, I had to admit. It was Monday, and I had been walking peacefully to school. That is, until the queen of the guardians started shouting my name. I turned around and waited for her to catch up. Everyone was staring now, wondering what could be up. I was with them - it didn't seem like Nadeshiko to call out my name like that. And she seemed kind of antsy. She was still as graceful as ever, but beneath that outer facade, she seemed... tense.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" I asked as she caught up. We started walking, trying to talk quietly so that the other people coming to school wouldn't hear.

"You wouldn't have happened to have seen an..." she dropped her voice lower, to make sure that no one could hear as she continued, "an X-egg around here, have you?"

"An X-egg?" I asked, confused. I hadn't seen any X-eggs on the way up. If I had, I would've grabbed it. "No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"I've been sensing one as we came closer to the school." said the normally quiet Temari from above Nadeshiko's shoulder. "But it seems very faint, and I can't figure out which direction its in. Have you sensed anything, Azami?"

I was busy trying to think what this could be about. Azami hadn't mentioned anything earlier and so I was shocked when she answered, "Yeah, now that you mention it, I had been feeling something. But it was too vague, so I'd been trying to ignore it."

"What?" I asked quietly and angrily, "You sensed something and you didn't tell me?" Nadeshiko was watching, a smile showing her amusement at my outrage.

Azami gave me a withering glare. What that was supposed to mean, I couldn't guess. "I didn't think it was a big deal." she said. I could tell that there was something else she wanted to say, but she was refraining from telling me now. I guessed she wanted to tell me something without Temari and Nadeshiko around.

We had now arrived at the doors to the school, and we would each have to get to our classes soon. "Well, I guess I'll keep my eyes peeled for any X-eggs. Azami will obviously be no help if she can't even tell me when she senses something." I got an all too familiar whap on the head with Azami's tail for that comment.

"Thanks." Said Nadeshiko. "I'll see you in the garden after school." She seemed a bit preoccupied, like her thoughts weren't totally focused on this conversation.

"Yeah, I'll see you later!" I said, turning down the hallway as I headed up towards my classroom. Once I was out of sight of Nadeshiko, I got another hit on the head. Consdious of all the other students around, I gave an angry glance up to Azami. She knew what I was thinking - something along the lines of 'What in the heck was that for?!?'

"Are you stupid?" asked Azami. "We just had X-energy infused into us and you can't make a guess as to why Temari might be sensing a strange X-egg? I should just go find a different person to chara-nari with; hopefully, one who knows how to use her brains every once in a while."

_Well, _I thought as I entered my classroom, barely getting seated before the bell rang. _Azami has a point. I really must be stupid - how could I not make that connection, when I can feel the energy even now? _Ever since Saturday, I'd been feeling great. The little dark feeling inside wasn't even bothering me. Admittedly, it constantly gave me an almost physical feeling of some sort of bad emotion - either sorow or depression or something like that. But I'd figured out yesterday that if I accepted the feeling and even embraced it, instead of resisting the dark emotion as any normal person would do, then I felt better. Perhaps not happy, but maybe... empowered. That was a good way to describe it. It was like I had actually let it become a part of myself, instead of something uncomfortable that just happened to be inside of me. So though I felt that little nagging sensation of depression all the time, I simply didn't let it bother me. Even when I had hypnotized my dad in the same way I had controlled my mom on Saturday, I hadn't felt guilt inside me. Instead, something more like an evil satisfaction grew from that dark part of me.

But this could be a problem - if the charas could sense the energy, then it would only be a matter of time before the guardians noticed that it was only when I was with them that they felt this mysterious 'X-egg'. Maybe my ruse wouldn't last for as long as I had thought.

Finally, Nikaido bumbled into the classroom, dropping a pile of papers onto his desk and (as always) nearly tripping in the process. "Sorry for being late, kids!" he said, trying to get everyone to quiet down. I watched his actions intently. Nothing about him seemed evil. His personality was exactly the opposite of what I thought of as being 'evil'. Even when I looked into his eyes (which is where everyone seems to think you can really see how people feel), I saw nothing suspicious. He seemed in every way to be an ordinary - if not somewhat kultzy - teacher. Surely that executive guy of Easter wasn't just messing with me... Was he?

* * *

At lunch, the topic of the strange 'X-egg' was the first thing brought up.

"So everyone else's charas have felt it too, right?" asked Tadase. "This X-egg that can't be located?"

We all nodded, as did the charas. Azami and I had already determined that we would play along with what they were saying. If we were the only ones who couldn't feel it, then it would've looked suspicious.

"What do you think it is, Tadase-kun?" asked Nadeshiko.

Tadase shook his head. "I don't know. But I don't think it's natural, whatever it is - I suspect foul play."

"You mean Easter?" asked Kukai through a mouthful of food. I gasped inaudibly, nearly choking on my own food in the process - they were getting too close to the real answer for comfort. I started coughing hard for a few seconds, trying to dislodge the bit of apple from my wind pipe.

"Are you okay, Miyuki-san?" asked Amu, who was sitting right next to me.

"Y-yeah." I managed to choke out as I slowed my coughing. "Sorry about that." I caught a quick glare from Azami - how much more suspicious could I act?

"I think so." replied Tadase to Kukai's earlier question. "Miyuki-san, you said that you saw Ikuto slinking around last week, didn't you?"

"Uh... yeah." I said, remembering my lie. "Or at least, I think I did." I suppose the only way I was able to say this convincingly was because it was partly true - I _had _seen Ikuto last week. Just not from a distance, as I had told the others. I hadn't seen him for a full week, now. _What if I never saw him again? _I thought. _But why should I care if I never see him again - all he does is make me angry. So why do I feel so sad at the thought of him never coming back?_

"So do you think that he has something to do with it, then?" asked Kukai.

"I wouldn't put anything past that sneaking cat." Tadase answered. "We've all got to stay on our guard. Keep on the lookout for anything suspicious." If I'd had any questions about who the leader was in this little group before now, they were long gone. Obviously, Tadase was giving the main voice here. He wasn't strictly giving orders, maybe. But very strong advice. Then again, we were sort of a team, and I supposed that we all had to listen to each other at some point in time. We moved onto other topics to pass lunch time, but I could tell that everyone still had the issue of the mystery X-egg on their minds.

* * *

"Hey, Miyuki-chan! Where are you going? Your house is this way!" said Yaya as I turned towards the school. All of the other guardians turned to me questioningly as well, wondering what I was doing. We had just finished our guardian meeting for the day, mainly discussing what we were going to do about the possible threat of the X-energy the charas were sensing. We had debated going out and actively searching around the area, but in the end we just decided to do what Tadase had suggested at lunch - be on the lookout for anything suspicous.

"Oh, right." I said. I hadn't told anyone about having to go to Nikaido yet. "My teacher said he wanted to see me." Technically, I guess it hadn't been Nikaido that had told me to come, but it was close enough. Sorta.

"Why would Nikaido-sensei want to see you, desu~?" asked Su, floating closer to me.

"Uhhh..." I hesitated. I hadn't really thought it out this far. "I"m not really sure." I said. This was actually pretty close to the truth. I had no idea what Nikaido would tell me to do, unless he was just here to make sure I did what the mysterious manager of Easter had already told me.

"Well, good luck with whatever it is." said Amu, as she and the others walked out the front gates of the school. Azami sat herself down on my shoulder as I walked into the school up to my classroom. The door was closed, but I could see that the light in the classroom was on. I decided to knock first before entering - if this guy really _was _evil, then I probably didn't want him ticked off at me for barging into the room.

"Come in!" said Nikaido, in the same carefree voice he always had.

I opened the door to see him grading papers at his desk. "Ah, Mizuki-san! How good to see you! Are you doing well?" As always, he couldn't say my name right. Normally this made me angry, but tonight I didn't know how to act.

"Fine, I guess." I said, closing the door behind me and then staying standing near the door. Nikaido turned back to his work, but continued the conversation.

"Good, good." he said cheerfully. "So I hear you're working for Easter now? Under my command?" I wasn't expecting him to be so up front about it. Heck, I hadn't even been sure that he was actually working for Easter until now. He was still acting the same, but now it seemed like... like his voice had a dangerous undertone to it. Something about him gave me the creeps now, and I barely managed to keep a shiver from crawling up my spine.

"Uhh, yeah." I said.

"And what's the name of your little friend?" he asked, this time looking up to stare at Azami. He still had a kind smile on his face, but this time it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes seemed cold and calculating. This was definitely _not_ the version of the teacher I had known from the past couple of weeks.

"She's Azami. But wait - you can see her?" I asked. I mean, while my chara and Amu's charas usually stayed pretty quiet during the school day, I could hardly imagine Nikaido ignoring them so well that I didn't notice that he could see them.

"Oh, yes, I can see her quite well." Nikaido replied. "I must admit, I was quite surprised when, on your first day of school, I sensed a newly born egg. I had considered taking it, but..." he chuckled, as if enjoying some private joke. "I just had a feeling about you. Turns out I was right - you two have turned out to be quite the interesting pair." Now I did shiver a bit. The idea of someone like him taking Azami was not a pleasant one. Perhaps I could've stayed calmer if Nikaido was acting more obviously evil. But he was still using his school-teacher demeanor. And he was talking about this as casually as if he was teaching a lesson. It really did freak me out. Azami was still fine. In fact, she seemed to be almost entertained by Nikaido. When I glanced over to where she was on my shoulder, I saw an amused grin on her face.

Now Nikaido put down his grading pen, and stood up from his desk. "Well, I'd like to see what you can do." Without any sort of explanation, he walked towards me. Seeing that he was planning on leaving the classroom, I opened the door and exited before him. He turned off the classroom lights behind him, and made sure to lock the door. All so ordinary, and yet...

Then he led the way through the school and out to the parking lot that was positioned behind the school. He walked over to a small, black car (the only one in the parking lot at this hour), opened the passenger door, and waited for me to get in. With quite a bit of hesitancy, I finally got in. As he closed the door, I felt like he was locking me into a trap. Of course, this was just a car. There was nothing suspicious about it. But where was Nikaido going to take me? I felt like I was a crab, willingly jumping into a chef's boiling pot. Nikaido walked around and got in the drivers seat, putting the keys in and starting the car. He drove out of the parking lot, humming some tune I didn't recognize.

It took about ten awkward, mostly silent minutes before Nikaido parked the car and gestured for me to get out. I recognized the place - we were in the parking garage of one of the most popular malls in the city. I had been here a couple times with my mom. Nikaido got out of the car, encouraging me to follow. I got out as well, but before I closed the car door, I finally worked up the courage to ask, "Just what is it you're going to have me do?"

Nikaido smiled, his fake look of kindness nearly making me cringe. "Collect X-eggs. What else would I have you do?"

I thought back to my last experience with X-eggs. "If you're going to have me get X-eggs, you might want to bring a bag. I don't want to have to carry them around."

"Oh, that's right! How could I forget?" said Nikaido, before opening the trunk and pulling out a leathery black purse. Though it had the appearance of a purse, it was really more like a purse-sized bag that zipped closed. There was only one big compartment to it, with no smaller pockets to put things in. But unless someone was really paying attention to it, it seemed like just an ordinary purse, with a long stap so it could hang over someone's shoulder.

"Easter sent this to me, for you." Nikaido said, handing me the bag. "It apparently has the ability to withstand and hide X-energy. That way, even if you've got a bagful of the little rascals, no one will know. Now, all you have to do is go into that mall and prove to me that you can collect some X-eggs. You go on ahead - I'll be watching from a distance."

I took the bag from him. It was fairly roomy - I thought I might be able to fit twenty or so X-eggs in there at once. I was still really repulsed by Nikaido with his fake happiness, and so was more than happy to head into the mall by myself. Despite the fact that it was already dark outside, there were still plenty of shoppers inside the brightly-lit building. I thought about how I was going to do this as I wandered around a bit. It would probably look odd if people saw me spreading smoke throughout the mall. I just had to choose a spot out of the way enough that most people wouldn't see me, and so that those who got close enough would be too affected by my haze to care.

I managed to find a large and somewhat busy clothing store on the ground floor. It looked like they were having a sale or something, due to the fact that I never imagined that this many people would be here on a Monday evening. I walked casually inside and headed over to the nearest set of women changing rooms. I figured that since this was a clothing store, most people would have to come in here at some point in time to try on their possible purchases. Though that wasn't my only reason - what Nikaido had said about him watching me was creeping me out, and I was hoping that he wouldn't be able to follow me into a girls' changing room. Though I put large emphasis on 'hope,' since I no longer had any idea what that guy was capable of.

Once I made my way into one of the changing stalls, I grinned and looked at Azami. She smiled back, before initiating the chara-change. The energy flooded through me again, making me feel great. I plucked one of the short hairs from my head, and using my power, set the end alight. The thin, grey smoke from before began to twirl upward. I couldn't really blow it towards anyone, as I had yesterday when trying out my powers. And so, I tried something new. Instead of using it as an outright attack, I mentally tried to command it. I focused on the concept of having the smoke grow in quantity and spread, until the room would be filled with its pleasant scent. And that's exactly what it did. The amount of smoke that came from the burning increased dramatically and quickly diffused above the top of my changing stall and into the rest of the dressing room. There were about ten other people who caught the smell. Any happy chatter in the room ceased as the feeling of hopelessness decended on the unsuspecting shoppers.

About ten seconds after I judged the smoke to have spread out, a lone X-egg floated over the top of the door right up to me. Like the ones from before, it seemed relaxed by the smell. I easily grabbed it from the air and put it in my bag. I waited a couple minutes, but no more X-eggs came to me. I suppose that not everyone gave up their dreams quite that easily. I waited a few more minutes to see if anyone else would come into the changing room, but I soon grew bored. Holding the hair down at my side where hopefully no one would notice, I walked out of my stall and out of the changing room. I passed one or two people on the way out. They were looking at some clothes they had half-heartedly, as if they'd lost any interest in them.

When no one was looking, I ducked behind a rack of clothes. No one would see me there. Then, I concentrated hard, focusing on trying to get the smoke to spread once again. It was harder this time - it took a lot more effort to fill an entire store than it did to fill a changing room. Realizing that I couldn't spread it too far from my hidden position, I settled for just this section of the store - the women's clothing department. I guessed that there were twenty to twenty-five people in the area. The gloom overtook them, and this time, four black eggs floated over to me. I stowed them into my bag, making sure to zip it up so that they couldn't escape. On a hunch, I let go of the hair and emerged from my hiding spot. The scent still lingered, keeping all those in the area gloomy and depressed. No one took any notice of me. My chara-change was still going strong, and it was time to see what my nails could do.

I walked casually by teenage girl who was looking glumly through a rack of discount shirts. Without breaking stride, I made an ever-so-small scratch on her arm using one of my sharp nails. She didn't seem to notice. Nothing happened immediately, but I had a feeling that now would be a good time to wait and watch. I went over to a nearby cluster of discount clothes, pretending to look as I kept an eye on my target. The change in the girl began quickly. Her posture changed obviously, making her look much sadder. Her shoulders slumped, and she slowly put the tank top she had been looking at back on the rack. Then she simply stood, staring. And this is when I knew something had definitely happened, for I could see in her eyes that same unseeing stare as Mai had had when her X-chara had been born.

Then, the X-egg emerged from her. With the smell of my smoke still in the air, it was groggy enough that I could easily grab it. The girl took absolutely no notice of me, and instead walked away dejectedly. Seeing my success here, I walked throughout the rest of the women's section, looking for more victims. Most of the people I didn't bother with. They were namely older people, and I could sense rather than see that the eggs of their hearts had disappeared long ago. However, I managed to get four more X-eggs out some more teen girls. The moody atmosphere caused by my haze meant that no one noticed my slightly suspicious actions. It also meant that the X-eggs were even easier to snatch.

As I walked out of the mall (my chara-change gone) and towards where Nikaido had parked his car, I felt deeply satisfied. I had managed to get nine X-eggs, which I felt was quite the accomplishment. My new purse was holding them all quite nicely - they didn't even struggle inside it. Azami floated by my side, also seeming content with our new power. Before I reached the car, I felt a presence behind me and turned. Nikaido was standing just a couple feet behind me. I cursed inwardly in surprise. I hadn't heard him at all.

"Very nice, Mizuki-san." He said. I gave up hope that he was just using a kind and silly facade over his evil character. I guessed that maybe he seriously was like this all the time. Maybe it was part of his nature that he was evil behind a strange mock-kindness. Even if he wasn't always like this, I knew that he knew that this attitude bothered me. He wouldn't be likely to stop it knowing that.

"So you like your power, don't you, Mizuki-san?" he continued, smiling. I _hated _the fact that he seemed to get right down to what I was feeling.

"I-I suppose so." I said, unable to avoid that slight stutter.

Nikaido started walked towards his car, and I followed. Without turning to look at me, he said, "Well, you'll have plenty of opportunity to use it. Your job is to collect as many X-eggs as possible, and give them to me. Speaking of which, hand me your purse for a moment." We had made it to the car by now, and Nikaido was opening the trunk. He grabbed a large cloth sack from within the trunk, and dumped the X-eggs from my purse into this bag. He tied it off at the top so that the eggs couldn't escape, then closed the trunk and handed me my purse back. We both got back in the car. Wihtout saying another word, he drove to my house. It was slightly disturbing that he knew where I lived, but then again, he was my teacher _and _my boss. I should have guessed he would know.

As I was getting out, I remembered something. I hesitated, not really wanting to talk to Nikaido, but knowing I had to. "Nikaido-sensei," I began. I guess I should still call him teacher. I didn't know what else I _could_ call him.

"Yes?" He asked cheerily.

"Well, the guardians have been noticing my X-egg energy. Do you have anything that could hide it from them?" I said.

"Hmmm..." He said, a pretend look of deep contemplation on his face. "I'm afraid I don't have anything, Mizuki-san, but I would be more than happy to let Easter know about it and work on the problem."

"Er, well, thanks." I said. He smiled, and I closed the car door before he drove up. I walked back into my house, glad for the lack of pestering from my parents. Apparently, my hypnotism was still working. It was only now that I realized I was hungry as well as tired, and so I grabbed a quick snack before heading up to my room and into bed.

As I tried to fall asleep, I heard Azami's voice from nearby in the dark. "Why are you so afraid of Nikaido?

I stayed silent for a few moments, mulling the question over. "I don't know." I eventually replied. "He just seems so.... creepy."

"Are you joking?" Azami asked. "He's just the first obviously evil person you've met. Get used to it. You're working for the dark side now, so act like it. _I _find his unique sham attitude rather funny."

"So it is a fake personality?" I asked. I still wasn't entirely sure.

"Yeah," said Azami, no doubt in her voice. "I mean, he's definitely evil, but that teacher disposition is a complete lie. It's an extremely good lie, but a lie nonetheless." We left the subject at that. It was fairly late already, and I was too tired to stay up and talk for much longer. It didn't take long for me to drift off into a restful, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Well, I just wrote a whole lot in this little post-chapter comment thing that I do, but then my computer decided to hate me and wouldn't let me save what I had just written. So now I'm tired and just a tad bit grumpy, so excuse me if I am somewhat terse with my typing now.

Anyway, please review! I want to know if I'm having bad sentences, grammar, characterization, etc., and the only way I'll really be able to tell is if someone else tells me! (that in itself was a good-sized paragraph before my computer hated me.... _)

Alos, I've lately been trying to work out a general timeline to coincide with the anime. It hasn't been working out well. I think I'm worrying too much about it. But I'll come up with something, hopefully. I've also been worried about pacing this story, but I think I've got that figured out as well. (once again, this was a full paragraph. Before my computer decided to take out all its horrible feelings on me. Grrr....)

Hope you're enjoying the story, hopefully my computer will stop being so evil before I start on the next chapter. So that I'm not quite so grumpy during this little part... and now I think I'm somewhat rambling.... *sigh*


	14. Not Again,,,

Azami and I headed down an alley, heading back home. It was Thursday evening, and we had just finished with a fairly successful X-egg harvest. Five X-eggs total. Better than on Tuesday; I'd only caught two that day. And I hadn't even had time to catch any on Wednesday, since the guardian meeting that day had lasted longer than usual. Tonight, I'd had the good idea of hiding in an alleyway next to a busy street. And by busy, I don't necessarily mean cars - I mean that I picked an alley depending on how many people were walking on the sidewalk it adjoined. I simply hid in the shadows of the alley, let my smoke drift out to the sidewalk, and waited to see how many X-eggs came to me. With so many people walking by, I knew I was bound to get a few. I didn't bother trying to scratch people to force the eggs out of them. It seemed like too much trouble.

As I headed down the dark back streets, I almost wished for some thug to come up and try and rob me. I was feeling great - every time I used my chara-change, it seemed like the X-energy flowed more freely within me. I would've loved to have a reason to use my chara-change strength to beat up on someone right now. So far, I could see no ill effects of my power. Except perhaps for that dark feeling that came along with it. Yes, I'd accepted it and let it become part of myself. That had made it feel less... bothersome. But there had been a couple of worrying times this week, when I'd been alone. The feeling, instead of just being present, actually seemed to grow. Each time it had happened, I got unreasonably depressed. Despite my reasoning that I had nothing to be depressed about, the feeling would stick. It made me feel like I just wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and stare off into space. I lost the energy to do anything, and I seriously couldn't do anything at all until Azami realized that I wasn't acting normally. At that point, she managed to snap me out of it with a nice hard whack of her tail.

But those little episodes of bleakness didn't last long (thanks to Azami), so I wasn't too terribly troubled by them. Even with them popping up every now and then, the strength I felt most of the time by far outweighed that little negative effect. I was still a good twenty blocks from my house. This would've been a hard walk for me about a week ago, but the X-energy gave me stamina that I hadn't had before. But even with this extra boost, it was probably past ten thirty right now, and I was admittedly getting rather tired. Even Azami seemed to be a bit weary - she was currently laying down on the top of my head, instead of flying by my side like she usually does.

"Are you awake, Azami?" I asked, loudly enough that she would have to wake up even if she _was _asleep. In reply, I got a thump on the head. I think she was starting to enjoy hitting me a bit too much. Then again, I had to admit that it was kinda funny, even if I was the one getting hurt. I continued walking, deciding to let her be.

A couple blocks later, I turned a corner and nearly screamed as I came face to face with Ikuto, who was leaning against the wall of the corner building. As it was, I managed to hold back my shout, but did end up tripping and falling flat on my butt as I scrambled backwards in surprise. No help from Ikuto. He just kept reclining against the wall, a smirk on his face and amusement in his eyes. Azami (who had indeed been asleep) fell off my head and hit the ground behind me.

"Hey!" the dragon chara shouted, angry at being woken. "What was that for?" It was now that Yoru, who had been floating near Ikuto, broke out laughing.

"You little alley cat! I'll teach you!" Azami hurtled towards Yoru, murder in her eyes. Yoru, seeing the impending danger, zoomed away. Azami followed in hot pursuit. I wasn't entirely sure if I trusted Azami not to literally kill the little cat chara, but both of them were gone before I could stop them. Which left Ikuto and I together. Alone.

"Do you enjoy sitting on the ground?" he asked sarcastically. My cheeks flared, red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"And do you enjoy stalking me and scaring me half out of my wits?" I retorted, getting up and brushing any dirt from the skirt I was wearing.

"If I recall," said Ikuto, still smirking, "It was yet again_ you_ who stumbled upon me."

My cheeks grew even redder, though it was hard to tell since the street we were next to had no lights along it. But this time, I was just angry. There was just something about his manner that just made me want to throttle him, and yet... and yet there was another part of me that was going crazy, just because he was there. I suppose that's love for you - the most confusing of all emotions. And if I were any kind of real dragon, then I shouldn't have any kind of feelings like that.

I tried to think of a good comeback, but nothing was coming to my mind. Seeing that I was saying nothing more, Ikuto continued talking. "So, I see you got your power. Is it really what you wanted?" I couldn't tell where he was going with this. If he was trying to make another joke at my expense, he certainly wasn't acting like it.

"How do you know I got power? Surely Easter doesn't have you keep on tailing me now, seeing as I'm working for them." I wondered how long he'd been following me. The thought made me blush even harder - the idea of him, watching me for who knows how long... A slightly stalker-ish notion, so why was I so flattered by it?

"The pulse of energy you sent out when chara-changing could be felt for a mile around." Said Ikuto. "If you don't want to draw every chara in the area to you, then I suggest you refrain from changing again. That is, unless you want your little guardian friends to know your... secret." Of course, he was referring to the fact that I was working for Easter. I made a mental not to self: do _not _chara change anywhere even remotely close to the guardians. I suppose it was only luck - or perhaps smart thinking on Azami's part - that I hadn't chara-changed at all this week while at school.

"So you now have the ability to rip people's dreams out. Is that what you wanted?" asked Ikuto. His eyes were drilling into me now, and I once more found that I couldn't look away. I had no Azami to chara-change with me this time; I would have to deal with Ikuto on my own.

"Well..." I thought about it. The look in Ikuto's eyes was almost making me feel... guilty. Is this what I wanted? _Do I really want to rip out the very hopes and desires of my victims? Then again, they are just people. I would probably never see most of them again. What do they matter to me? I have power. I like using that power. _Though I felt guilt, it was very deep down. The X-energy, almost taking a life of its own, began to flow through me as if I were about to do a chara-change. It smothered any guilt within me. My confidence grew. _This_ was what I wanted. I had power; why not use it, even if it came at the expense of others? A few words from some stupid cat weren't going to stop me.

"Yes." I said firmly, after my pause to think. "Do you have a problem with it?" My eyes flashed dangerously. The energy inside me was raging, and I could barely believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. It was still me talking, and yet it seemed like the energy inside me was somehow guiding my feelings. And right now, all I felt was defiance. I mean, who was Ikuto to question my behavior? Since when was Ikuto my mother?

He chuckled, and broke his gaze. "Why would I have a problem?" that's what he said, but it seemed like there was some undertone to his voice, telling me that he clearly _did_ have a problem. Or maybe the X-energy was making me imagine things. "So what's the catch?" asked Ikuto. "Surely to have this much power, you had to give up something in return. Easter isn't exactly the most trusting of companies. I doubt they'd give you power in exchange for your service unless they had someway to control you."

He was addressing something that had been on the fringes of my mind all this week, always there but never directly confronted. If Easter was any real villainous company, then the chances of them believing that I would be loyal to them on word alone was very small. But I could think of nothing that they could threaten me with.

"As far as I know, there's no catch. I told them I'd work for them, and they gave me power." I replied. My X-energy surge was dying down now, and now my heart was beating fast because of something else. The sight of Ikuto, leaning casually against the wall... it triggered something within me. No matter how angry he made me half the time, I had to admit it: Ikuto was like a magnet. And I was what he was attracting, whether he meant to or not.

"Is that so..." said Ikuto. His thoughts seemed to be half somewhere else. He wasn't even looking at me as we talked. Rather, he was looking up at the sky. No stars could be seen due to the light pollution of the city, so I couldn't imagine what he could be seeing that was of any interest. Then he turned back to me, his attention back on the conversation. "How did they give you your power?" he asked. If I had just been listening to his words, I might've taken the question as simple curiosity. But when I looked into his eyes this time, there seemed to be a hardness in them. There was more to this question then mere inquisitiveness.

Like my first time meeting him, Ikuto's eyes drew me in. I couldn't deny his question. I felt my heart beat quicken again. "Azami touched this crystal thing, and-" I broke off as the chara in question came hurtling towards us, still hot in pursuit of Yoru.

"Ikutoooo! Help me!" Yoru wailed as he flew towards Ikuto, coming to a stop behind his head. It looked to me like that cat chara had a bit of a bump on his head - probably a little memento from Azami. I grinned as she flew back and forth, trying to get around Iktuo's head and get at Yoru. Unfortunately for her, Yoru kept on moving so that Ikuto was always between him and little miss vengeance.

"Move or I'll go through you before I rip that filthy tabby's tail off." said Azami. Maybe she was joking about the tail part, but she was seriously prepared to do whatever it took to get to Yoru.

Ikuto grinned. "Really? I suppose we'll have to flee, then. There's no way I could possibly face up to such a fearsome being as yourself." he said, in a tone that clearly showed an immense amount of sarcasm towards the idea. His inflection was not lost upon Azami.

"Why you...!" she growled out, before charging forward. Ikuto's ears and tail appeared, and he easily dodged out of the way, forcing Azami to stop herself or else hit the wall. I saw that Yoru was hanging on to the back of Ikuto's head, doing his best to hold on tight. Azami charged forward again, and this time Ikuto jumped up, onto the top of a nearby one story building.

Yoru floated up above Ikuto's head. I could barely see him as he shouted down at us, "Eat our kitty litter, nya~!"

Azami clenched her fists, then turned suddenly to me. "Let's chara-nari and show them what we're really made of!" Azami said, her red eyes practically burning with rage.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ikuto taunted from on top of the building. "Don't you remember what I said about how much energy your chara-change gives off? Ever thought about how much of a beacon you chara-nari would be? And I know we're not too far away from either Tadase's or Nadeshiko's house."

"Azami, he's right." I said. "The other guardians will probably-"

"It doesn't matter!" said Azami furiously. "We're going to chara-nari!" The dark feeling grew inside of me. I felt Azami's vindictiveness fueling it as her vengefulness coursed through me with the power. I had no control over it. The chara-nari started, and there was no way I could stop it. The X-energy within me seemed to expose itself, filling the air immediately around me with its dark fog.

"My own heart - unlock!" Unable to stop myself, I brought Azami's egg into my chest. I felt my clothes change again, as did my appearance as a whole. I felt the reassuring presence of my wings, horn, and tail as they all revealed themselves. I felt Azami's current hatred towards Ikuto and Yoru controlling the dark energy, and making me feel her hatred as well. As the chara-nari finished, it was no longer just she that wanted to get at the two cats - since she was now a part of myself, I felt it just as much as she did.

"Chara-nari: Dark Dragon!"

"Oh?" said Ikuto, smiling. "The little lizard wants to play?"

If I hadn't been angry before, I was now. With all this power at my command, he was actually underestimating me! _Now _he was going to pay!

I spread my wings and flew towards him at my top speed. I could tell that he was shocked, but he jumped upwards right before I collided with him. And that was a mistake on his parts. Perhaps he was more agile that me in general, but even a cat can't change its direction when jumping or falling. Using my wings and tail, I changed my course and zoomed up to him. I changed the orientation of my body at the last second, so that it would be my shoulder and not my horns making contact with him. He went flying backwards, managing to land on his feet (of course he landed on his feet - he's a cat) on a roof a couple houses down. He was wincing. I had hit him hard, and he was feeling it.

Instead of turning to face me, he jumped from one roof to the next, trying to escape. That struck me as odd. But I wasn't gonna let him get away that easily. I quickly caught up to him by flying, and was just about to tackle him again when he ducked down into a small alleyway between houses. I flew right past it due to my momentum, and had to backtrack. I saw him fleeing the alley, but this time, he was different. He was faster and more agile, among other things. Oh, and he had on a totally different outfit. I suppose that might be of note. With my increased dragon sight, I could see that he was now wearing a short navy top with long navy pants, in addition to his customary ears and tail. Something glinted from his right hand, but I couldn't tell what it was. It took me a short moment to comprehend that he had done a chara-nari as well, and another short moment for me to resume my chase.

He was sticking to alleyways, which was a problem for me. Most of them were too narrow for me to open my wings in, which meant that if I wanted to confront him in there, I would have to do so on foot. My main advantage was having the speed and maneuverability of flight. Instead, I flew above him, waiting for him to come out in the open long enough to catch him.

"What are you doing?" Azami's voice rang out through my head. "Get him!"

I did consider swooping down a couple times as he crossed a street to enter a new alleyway, but decided against it each time. We were in a fairly small residential neighborhood, and the streets were still fairly narrow. He'd gone a couple blocks when I saw my chance. He had run out into a mostly empty parking lot next to an apartment complex, and I dove towards him, picking up speed as I fell. I was behind him, and he was running away from me. When I was still about fifteen feet in the air and probably just a few seconds from tackling him, he apparently heard me. He did something I didn't expect: he turned and faced me. I noticed for the first time exactly what had been glinting from his hand - a set of three long, sharp blades, apparently embedded into the sleeve of his outfit. He was holding them at the ready. I tried to slow myself, not having been expecting the threat of those knives. It was too late to pull up from my dive. Ikuto, instead of attacking, used my hesitation as a chance to jump backwards. I managed to land on my feet where he had been, but it was a hard impact that hurt my legs.

Instead of running away, Ikuto was facing me from about ten feet away, his stance tense. I glared at him. His eyes stared almost sorrowfully back, looking almost... conflicted. I still wasn't completely in control of myself - Azami and the X-energy seemed to be conspiring against me, fueling my anger towards this petulant cat.

"Why don't you attack?" I taunted. The parking lot put some distance between us and the actual apartments, meaning that we were hopefully safe from being heard. "Are you perhaps too weak to actually hurt me? You never struck me as the caring type. The world isn't nice, but you seem to think that you have to keep from hurting anyone, even if that person is attacking you. Face reality: it's a dog eat dog world, and if you aren't willing to defend yourself at someone else's expense, you're going to lose the game of life."

My taunting seemed to do nothing to him. His eyes continued to drill into me, but I took no notice. I charged again, this time staying on foot. My own sharp nails were at the ready, as I prepared to use them if necessary. He jumped out of the way at the last second, but I was ready this time. I pivoted my body and whipped out my black tail, managing to get a solid hit to his side as he jumped away. As he landed on his feet once again, I saw him clutching his ribs. I doubted that I had broken anything, but Ikuto would probably have a very decent-sized bruise there for the next week or so.

He tried to ignore his apparent pain as I charged forward again. I was expecting him to just try and jump away again, so I wasn't prepared when he grimly raised his right hand, with its blades dimly gleaming. I opened my wings to catch air and try to slow myself, but this time he was serious. I couldn't stop my momentum.

"Slash Claw!" He said darkly, his eyes resolute. He slashed the blades toward me, and I barely managed to get up my arm in time to protect myself. For some reason, I barely felt the pain as his blades raked lengthwise through my arm. It seemed very shallow, but each of the three gashes was also wide and very long. They reached almost all the way from my wrist to my elbow. The pain came a couple seconds later, but I ignored it. My rage had flared up even higher at being hurt. Ikuto had jumped back once again, and I faced him. The black fire from the first time I had character-transformed sprang up around my hands. But this time, it wasn't just a flame in my palms - it was like my hands were actually on fire with the shadowy flames. I raised my right hand up towards my left shoulder, as if I were preparing to throw a frisbee.

"Blazing Rain!" I swiped my hand down through the air in front of me, and a salvo of small, dark flames were sent hurtling towards Ikuto. He dodged, and the miniature missiles scorched the concrete where he had been standing. Now I used my left hand, swinging it in front of me, aiming in the direction Ikuto was landing. The barrage once again sailed forward, hard to see in the darkness of the parking lot. Ikuto put his arms up in front of him to guard himself, unable to jump away in time. They hit him dead-on, and he was sent flying backwards. He managed to land, crouching, breathing heavily in pain and exertion. He kept his eyes trained on me, wary of my next move.

But then, I felt the pain in my right arm come back full-force. I gasped from how much it hurt, and the flames died out from my hands. Even if the wound itself wasn't too deep, it hurt a lot. More than Azami's cut to the same arm that P.E. class a week or so ago. The pain was probably due to the fact of how incredibly long they were. I looked down, and saw blood flowing freely from the three parallel wounds.

I saw movement in front of me and turned my attention away from my injury, just in time to be knocked backwards by Ikuto. He had dashed forward while I was distracted by my wound, taking the opportunity to knock me down. I fell, my back landing heavily against the pavement and knocking the air out of my lungs. I felt my wings, tail, and horns disappear and my clothes change back to normal. The blow, in addition to the long scratches from Ikuto's claw attack, had weakened me enough that I couldn't maintain the chara-nari any longer. The X-energy was fading as well, making me even more aware of my general weakness at the moment. Azami, who had been ejected out of me when the character transformation had ended, floated next to my face.

"Come on! Get up! You can't just lie there!" she said. She seemed just as angry as ever. I tried to push myself up, but my right arm gave out and I fell back onto the ground. My mind seemed to be teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, just barely staying aware of my surroundings. I was afraid that any exertion other than just lying here might make me pass out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ikuto approaching, his chara-nari gone. What was he going to do? Help me? Finish me off? His eyes were almost unreadable, except for the smallest spark of some emotion I couldn't recognize. If I had to guess, I would say he was almost horrified by what he had done. Or maybe I was just imagining that.

When he was still a few feet off, he stiffened.

"Someone's coming, nya~!" said Yoru from his side. Azami had also detected whoever it was, and was looking in the direction off to my left. Ikuto chara-changed and was gone faster than my eyes could follow.

"I sense them this way!" Shouted a familiar voice from across the parking lot. My muddled mind tried to remember who it was as I heard two sets of running steps come towards me... that annoying, commanding little tone.... that was it! It was Kiseki. And if Kiseki was here, that meant...

"Isn't that... Yamada-san!" Tadase's voice rang out through the night. I managed to tilt my head, revealing both Tadase and Nadeshiko running towards me.

"Miyuki-san! Are you alright?" asked Nadeshiko worriedly.

"N-no." I managed to say. I was still trying to get my breath back, and my mind felt fuzzy, as if I was only hearing what Nadeshiko had asked a couple seconds after she had actually said it. I tried to get up, feeling silly lying on the ground. I got a bit farther off the ground this time, but then my arms gave out again as my head began to spin. I started to fall backwards, but Tadase caught me and lowered me gently back onto the ground.

"My arm..." I said, voice trailing off. They heard me and, seeing that my left arm was perfectly fine, looked at my other arm. Nadeshiko gasped audibly, and I saw Tadase stiffen at the sight.

Then Nadeshiko looked up at Azami, her glance serious. "You didn't do this, did you?" she asked quietly. She apparently remembered the last time something like this had happened.

"You're joking, right?" said Azami. "Of course I didn't do this! It was that filthy stinking cat chara and his-"

"Wait, cat?" asked Tadase. "You don't mean... Ikuto did this?"

"Yeah." Azami replied seriously. "I don't really remember everything that had happened. Earlier this evening, I felt a chara's presence and me and Miyuki went to check it out. We were following it for a while, and then...." Azami shook her head. "I don't know. We woke up here a couple minutes ago, and I saw some guy with cat ears and a tail run off. I tried to get Miyuki to wake up so she could do something about her injury, but she couldn't get up." Even though I was barely able to stay conscious right now, I was still amazed with Azami's ability to lie.

Tadase stood up suddenly. "Which way did he go?" His eyes were determined, with just a glint of anger in them.

Nadeshiko grabbed his sleeve. I now realized that it looked like both of them had very hastily thrown on some clothes. Apparently, they hadn't just been out for an evening stroll together when they had come upon me. "Tadase-kun," she said, "We have to let him go. We need to help Miyuki-san right now."

Tadase clenched his teeth in frustration, but nodded.

"Do you think you can walk if we support you, Miyuki-san?" asked Nadeshiko.

"Y-yeah. I think so." Surprisingly enough, I was feeling a bit better now. Admittedly, it helped that I had finally caught my breath. Breathing normally definitely seemed to help. My right arm was red from the blood smeared along it, reminding me once again of when Azami had scratched me. Tadase and Nadeshiko helped me up, and I took stock of my surroundings. After that chase, I was actually only about seven blocks away from my own house. My arm was no longer experiencing the sharp pain from before; rather, it had settled down to a dull pounding. But it still hurt.

"Azami, how far are we away from Yamada-san's house?" Tadase asked.

"About nine or ten blocks." said Azami. Okay. Maybe I hadn't been quite right in my guess as to how far away we were. My mind still wasn't quite back to normal.

"My house is probably closest, then." said Tadase. "Let's go."

Nadeshiko slung my arm across her shoulders, taking a lot of my weight. For a girl who looked so graceful, she was surprisingly strong. We were about halfway across the parking lot when a though tugged at the edge of my mind. I tried to pin down the idea, but it seemed to dance aon the fringes of my thoughts. We had headed about a block towards Tadase's house when I finally managed to figure out what was bothering me.

"How are you going to explain my injury to your parents, Tadase-kun?" I asked.

"Oh. Um..." we all stopped, seeing the dilemma. It would be pretty hard to pass off my injury as an accident. If a parent saw it, they would start asking questions that we probably wouldn't be able to answer. I mean, what sane person would believe that a guy with cat ears and a tail had attacked me?

"Take Miyuki-chan to her house." Azami suggested. "Her parents will believe anything. It won't be a problem once we get there."

Nadeshiko turned looked at me. "Do you think that would work, Miyuki-san?"

I nodded. "Azami's right. I should be able to keep them from worrying too much." Neither Tadase nor Nadeshiko looked like they quite believed me, but Azami nonetheless began leading them to my house, despite its distance.

We were about two blocks away when I started getting light-headed again. I knew I had lost a lot of blood, though admittedly the flow had slowed down considerably. I tried to keep my mind off of it - I didn't want to complain.

"How did you guys know to come find me?" I asked. I think I had a pretty good guess, but I wanted to know for sure.

Tadase was the first to reply. "We were both at our respective homes, and we felt a huge pulse of X-egg energy. We both rushed to find out what was going on, and bumped into each other on the way."

Nadeshiko, who was still supporting me, asked, "You wouldn't happen to remember anything having to do with that, do you? Neither of us have felt anything like it before."

I shook my head, and stars danced in front of my eyes as a result. I was starting to get sore all over, which didn't help. Thankfully, we made it to my house about that time. Tadase opened the front door for Nadeshiko and I, and we walked in.

My parents hardly even looked up. My mom was reading something in the newspaper, and my dad looked like he was cleaning some dishes. We could have gone upstairs to my room without even bothering them, but I knew that would seem odd to Tadase and Nadeshiko.

"Mom, dad, I'm back." I said weakly. "I've got some friends with me, but they'll be leaving soon. I got scratched by a cat, and they just wanted to make sure that I was okay."

"Okay, Miyuki." said my mother flatly, her eyes never leaving the page in front of her. The hypnotism looked like it was still working. Tadase and Nadeshiko exchanged a quick glance of slight confusion before helping me up to my room.

Nadeshiko gently lowered me down to sit on my bed. "Do you have any paper towels anywhere?" she asked. "We're going to need to clean your arm a bit before we wrap it in something."

"Uh, yeah." I said. "I think there are some under the sink in the bathroom." Azami told them where the bathroom was, and Tadase went to find the paper towels.

"We'll also need something to wrap your arm with, to help keep it from bleeding again." said Nadeshiko.

This was a bit of a tougher one. I couldn't think what we could use to wrap my arm in.

"Don't you still have that extra roll of gauze the nurse gave you from before?" asked Azami. It took me a minute to think what she was talking about. Then I remembered: the nurse _had _sent me home with an extra roll of gauze that day Azami scratched me. But what had I done with it...

"Azami, I think it might be in the closet." Azami went in to my closet, and came out with the small roll of gauze in her arms, struggling to stay in the air. Tadase came in right about then, with some wet paper towels in addition to a full roll of dry ones. Tadase looked like he was about to help clean up my arm himself, but I stopped him. That just seemed like it would have been _way _too awkward. I took one of the damp paper towels from him and cleaned off my arm, which started the blood flowing once again. Nadeshiko took the gauze from Azami and wrapped my arm with surprising skill, making it neither too tight nor too loose. As soon as she was done, I tried standing up. I still felt a little off-balance, but for the most part I was fine.

"Thanks." I said. I flexed my arm a bit, which started it throbbing. Note to self: be careful for the next day or so. "I don't know how to really thank you two. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't found me." I really meant it, too. I didn't know what Ikuto would have done if he hadn't been run off. Even if he had just let me be, I could have easily passed out in that parking lot, perhaps never to wake up again. Or maybe I was being over-dramatic about the possibilities.

"Of course we had to help. We weren't just going to leave you there." said Tadase.

"That's right." Kiseki piped in. "A king always looks after his subjects."

"It wasn't a problem." said Nadeshiko. "I just wish we knew what had happened."

"Yeah." I said, slightly awkwardly. Of course, I did know what had happened. It's just that they could never know that. I glanced to the clock on the wall, and noticed it was nearly midnight. "You guys should probably get home now. It's so late already. I should be fine now."

Tadase nodded. "Yeah, we should be getting back. Please be careful, Yamada-san."

"Don't try to over exert yourself." warned Nadeshiko. "If you really need to, just stay home tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I'll be okay." I insisted, despite the slight dizziness I was experiencing at the moment. The two escorted themselves down the stairs and out the door, not wanting me to have to walk all the way down the stairs. I was glad for that, because almost as soon as they left, I sat back down on my bed. I was experiencing a strange mixture of exhaustion and light-headedness, and it didn't feel pleasant. Without even changing into my pajamas or turning off the light, I laid down on my bed and fell asleep, unable to stay awake for a moment longer.

* * *

Over 60,000 words now! Yeah! In just a bit over a month, no less. I'll admit, I'm proud of myself. That makes this one of only six stories (at the moment) in the shugo chara section over 60,000 words (if you don't believe me, search for stories in shugo chara with over 60000 words. That's right. My story is up there. Or it should be). I'm very happy. Although you could argue that that doesn't mean too much, since even the one in there with the least number of reviews has over 160 more than me. Which does bother me a bit. For a moment. And then the feeling passes, and I'm just super excited that I finally got motivated about a story and stayed motivated!

Anyway, review are still nice if you'd like to give me some pointers or just encourage (or even constructively criticize) me in general. Thanks to Kitty Obsessive Disorder again, who I think might have been the only one to review the last two weeks or so.

If anyone would like to know, this was one of those chapters where I didn't know what was going to happen next. Or, rather, I thought I knew what was going to happen next, but then Azami had to come back from her little Yoru chase and I realized she wasn't just going to let that kind of insolence off the hook. So, I literally did not know that the whole chara-nari battle scenario was going to happen until about when Yoru is yelling "Ikutooo! Help me!" I was planning to go into the next day and actually (for once) not ending a chapter with Miyuki going to sleep. But, it happened anyway. Oh well.

And I'm actually dreaming about shugo chara now. Last night, I actually had a dream with evil Amu character-transformations (which just so happens to be one of the things I really want to see in the anime). The dream was sparked from seeing screen shots from the episode that came out yesterday, the Saaya Yamabuki one. My dream got a lot stranger than that (for example, I'm fairly sure that Hinamori and I were mice half of the time, due to some strange off-topic philosophy club conversations I'd had the previously that day), but that was the main part I thought was funny. And then I got up and watched the actual episode (I'd let it load over night), but I didn't like the episode and I was slightly sad....

But I'm starting to ramble again. Please review if you'd like to, and I hope you've been enjoying the story so far! As far as fanfictions go, I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be an epic in length.


	15. Poetry?

I didn't bother asking my parents to drive me the next day. Though I felt light-headed as I got out of bed, the feeling soon passed and I figured I would be fine on my own. Azami woke up too, as lively as ever. Of course, _she _hadn't been the one doing battle with Ikuto. That had been me. Hence the fact that _I _was the one with an arm almost entirely wrapped in cloth. I decided to leave the bandaging as-is - it would hopefully keep the wound from opening, and also hide the long scratches from the eyes of curious classmates.

I was a bit late to school - I had underestimated my exhaustion and my general weakness, and had had to walk much slower than normal. Amu smiled cheerfully at me as I walked into the classroom, interrupting whatever it had been that Nikaido had been saying. Amu still didn't know what had happened last night. But between Nadeshiko and Tadase, I'm sure she - and the other two guardians - would hear about it soon enough. I kinda wished now that no one had found out about it. I mean, perhaps I had a pretty good excuse thanks to Azami, but it still seemed suspicious. Maybe I was just being overly paranoid, but I really didn't like the thought of the guardians finding out my true allegiances. It felt great having this power. And it also felt great to have friends. I didn't want to lose either.

"Glad to see you could make it, Mizuki-san. If I may ask, what did you do to your arm?" Nikaido said. I had a feeling he was intentionally putting me on the spot. I was almost sure that he at least had some inkling as to what had happened. And even if not, he always could have asked me somewhere other than in front of the class.

"Uhhh... it's nothing, really. Just a scratch." I replied. Everyone of the class started whispering to each other. Though I could only hear brief parts of the conversations, I definitely heard the words 'lion' and 'tiger' used. I suppose they weren't too far off this time. I mean, how far different was a lynx from a lion or a tiger?

"Oh, I see, I see. Well, you can take your seat now." Said Nikaido, smiling. I walked back to my seat, while Amu gave me a questioning look. I mouthed that I would tell her later. Once everyone quieted down, Nikaido continued with what he teaching.

"Okay, class, we're going to start a poetry project. Over the weekend, I want everyone to memorize the first stanza of the poem I'll give you in a moment." A low groan came from the class. No one really wanted to memorize poems over the weekend. Almost everyone - including me - thought poetry was dumb. Just a bunch of words, put together in a way that doesn't even make sense half the time. Nikaido went among the desks, handing each of us a sheet of paper with a poem on it. I waited patiently for mine - I mean, what else did I have to do?

He handed me my poem, which I took curiously. He had already gone on to giving the student by the time I managed to flip the sheet over and read the title. _Fire and Ice_ was it's name. I looked it over quickly.

Fire and Ice

BY ROBERT FROST

Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To say that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice.

Wow. He had given me a really apocalyptic poem. Nine lines, focusing only on how the world was going to end. I looked around, trying to see what those around me had been given. _Apple Picking, Eagle Poem, Sheet Music_ - some silly, some serious, but none seemed to be as depressing as mine. What in the heck was Nikaido up to? Did he purposefully give me such a poem? I looked over Amu's shoulder, and saw the title _The Owl and the Pussy-cat. _I mean, really! He gives me something like _Fire and Ice, _while he gives Amu some light-hearted poem probably about talking animals! It wasn't so much the poem that made me mad, but just the fact that he was obviously trying to mess with me somehow bugged me.

Azami took a quick look over the poem. "Of course the world will end in fire. What else?" she said, as if it were the single most obvious thing in the world. I suppose I should've expected that Azami would say something like that - I mean, she _is _a dragon after all. And dragons breathe fire.

* * *

I managed to avoid telling the story of my injury at lunch. I said that this was too important to risk anyone else hearing, and Tadase and Nadeshiko agreed. No matter how much Yaya complained, we had decided to recount the tale after school in the royal garden. In truth, I was just putting it off. I knew I'd have to tell them eventually, but I didn't want to. I mean, the story was pretty suspicious in and of itself. I didn't doubt that they would believe me - as I said, they were the noble sort, and therefore easily trusting. But they might decide to take action and investigate Ikuto, which could lead them finding out about me. I wasn't entirely sure if I trusted Ikuto not to let slip something that would give me away if he ever met up with the guardians. And there was that little part of me that felt guilty for not telling the guardians the truth... but I tried to let that feeling slide. It was very un-dragonish, and I had to keep trying to get rid of stupid feelings like guilt. A dragon cares only for herself, in which case guilt has no place within a dragon.

As soon as the bell rang, Amu and I headed for the door, Amu anxious to learn what had happened and me at this point just wanting to get it over with.

"Mizuki-san, could you please wait a moment?" called out Nikaido just as we reached the door. We stopped, and Amu looked at me questioningly.

"Why does Nikaidou-sensei need you, desu~?" asked Su.

I shrugged. "I dunno." I said. I was getting better at lying. In actuality, of course I knew - he probably wanted me to give him my haul of X-eggs for the week. But I couldn't let Amu know that.

"What about the guardian's meeting?" asked Ran. "I wanna know what happened!"

"Don't worry - I'll come straight down once Nikaido lets me leave." I said. "Amu-san, you can go ahead if you want. Maybe you can squeeze the story out of Tadase and Nadeshiko."

Amu looked hesitant, but there wasn't really much else she could do. "All right." she turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back to me. "And you can just call me Amu, if you like. Amu-san just seems so... formal." Amu blushed a bit, as if embarrassed.

I blinked. Normally only close friends didn't use honorifics. I was simply stunned for a moment. Then, I smiled. Amu was a great friend, and I felt glad that she thought we were close enough to suggest something like this. "Okay, Amu. But only if you stop calling me 'Miyuki-san' and just call me 'Miyuki.' Deal?"

Amu smiled, her face practically sparkling with happiness. She quickly masked it, though, realizing that there were still other people in the room and that such an expression really didn't fit her 'cool and spicy' image. "All right. Hurry down to the garden, Miyuki!' she said, still smiling a bit. She walked out of the classroom, her charas following her. I went back to my desk until the remaining students had packed up and left. Once the last student was gone, Nikaido got up and closed the door, leaving us completely closed off from anyone else.

"So, Mizuki-san, you certainly seem to be getting along well with guardians. You must be quite good at deception. Even I can hardly tell that you're planning on betraying them one day." Nikaido said. It was so strange to hear such a cheery voice talk about such a depressing fact. "You aren't, perhaps, getting too attached, are you?"

I met his eyes for a few seconds, but was forced to look down. It sounded like he had listened in to my conversation with Amu. He was directing my mind to exactly where it didn't want to go. The fact is, I _was _getting too attached. If it kept going like this, I would never be able to betray them, which would be blocking me from what I really wanted. Eventually, I would have to choose between my power and them. And I would never be able to live with myself if ended up making such a horribly noble choice.

Nikaido continued. "You know, I would think that caring for someone would be very un-dragonlike of you. What do you think, Azami?"

I looked up to Azami, who was hovering about eye-level off to my right. "A dragon can do what she wants. If she wants to care for someone, then she can care for someone." I thanked Azami in my mind. Perhaps it didn't quite fix my problem, but it made me feel better that a dragon could care, too.

"Ah, but what if that dragon had to choose between what she wanted and hurting someone else, even if it was someone she cared about?" asked Nikaido. He was really starting to get on my nerves.

Azami's eyes hardened into a determined look. "If anyone gets in our way, we dragons do whatever it takes to get what we want."

_Thanks, Azami. Just go ahead and prove his point. _I thought sarcastically to myself. But I knew, deep down, that that was how it had to be. Still, I didn't like Nikaido pointing it out. As Azami was always saying, I should do what I want now, and care about the consequences later. I decided to change the subject.

"So just why did you give me a poem like 'Fire and Ice'?" I asked.

Nikaido tilted his head slightly, as if perplexed. "What do you mean, Mizuki-san? Do you not like your poem?"

I hated his little fake nice-guy act. "What I mean is, everyone else got happy or good poems or something. Then you go and give me 'Fire and Ice.'"

Nikaido frowned a bit. "I'm afraid I still don't get what you're saying. 'Fire and Ice' is a very famous poem, and I thought you might like it."

I tried to protest, but Nikaido silenced me. "We really must be getting to business, Mizuki-san. That is, unless you want to make the guardians wait?" He had definitely been listening in on my conversation with Amu. I glared at him a bit, but he took no notice. He rummaged around in his desk a bit before coming out with a sack much like the one the scientist had when I'd caught my first X-eggs in Easter.

"If you would be so kind, could you give me what X-eggs you have and put them in this bag?" He smiled as he handed me the sack. The smile, as always, sent shivers down my spine. I took the bag without protest and pulled my purse out from my book bag. I hadn't wanted to leave the purse out, since the guardians might wonder where I had gotten it and what I put in it. I dumped the dozen or so eggs into the bag, then handed it back to Nikaido.

"Oh, I see you got quite a few, Mizuki-san!" said Nikaido with mock enthusiasm.

"Uh, yeah. Can I go now?" I asked.

He shook his head, as if I were some child that would just never understand how to be patient. "My, so anxious to go and lie to your friends! I'm sure that Easter is glad to have such a willing employee! However, you'll need to wait just a minute longer..." he began to rummage in his desk again before coming out with something circular and hard: a bracelet. It was solid and designed to just slide on over the wrist, like a bengal. A dull, black metal made up most of it, though studded all around it were small, translucent crystals. Each of them looked very much like the crystal Azami had had to touch when acquiring our power.

"As long as this is around your body somewhere - your wrist, your ankle, or even if it was just hanging from one of your fingers - it will absorb any loose power." Said Nikaido. "Or, at least, so Easter told me." He handed me the bracelet, which I gladly took. I squeezed it over my left hand and onto my uninjured wrist. As soon as it was on, the crystals seemed to darken a bit. It jangled loosely around my wrist, but stayed on fairly well. I really liked it - the dullness of the metal fit my style, and the crystals really looked quite nice, even if they were a bit darker. Almost like diamonds.

Nikaido coughed, drawing my attention back to him. "They warned me that it should be able to conceal you in your regular state and when you chara-change, but that they don't know if it will mask the energy of a transformation. Of course, I'm certain there would be no need for you to ever chara-nari around here, would there?" I guessed from his tone of voice that he knew what had happened between me and Ikuto the night before. Could I keep _nothing _secret from this creep?

"Uh... yeah. Of course not. Can I go now?" I wasn't excited about lying to the guardians, but anything was preferable to being stuck in a room with this guy.

"Yes, yes, you may go now, Mizuki-san. I'll be expecting you to give me a batch of X-eggs every Friday, so make sure you don't slack off." Said Nikaido. I was halfway out the door before he finished the sentence. I _really _hated that guy.

Once I arrived at the royal garden, I reluctantly opened the door to the greenhouse and strode up to the guardian's table.

"All right, now you guys have to tell Yaya what happened!" Yaya said to tadase and Nadeshiko as soon as I had come through the door.

"I'm with Yaya on this one." said Kukai. "What in the world are you guys not telling us about?"

"Hey, why did Nikaido want to see you?" asked Amu.

_Dang. _I had meant to ask Nikaido for a good excuse. What was I going to say?

As always, it was Azami that came to the rescue. "She's doing advanced math. Nikaido thought that she could advance farther ahead. She just didn't want to tell anyone 'cause she thought it would be showing off."

"Wow, advanced math?" said Nadeshiko. "That's great, Miyuki-san."

"Come on! Yaya wants to hear what happened!" Yaya whined again.

"All right, all right." I said, sitting down at my spot. Everyone listened closely, including Tadase and Nadeshiko. They already knew the story, but perhaps they wanted to see if I remembered anything that Azami didn't. Of course, the only story I knew was the one that she had told.

"I had been at home when Azami felt another chara. We went outside and followed her feeling for a while, wondering who it could be. I know we'd been gone a while and had walked quite a ways, but then... well, I don't know what happened. I don't know if I passed out or what, but neither Azami nor I can recall anything. When we woke up, we were in a parking lot, my arm was scratched pretty badly, and Azami saw someone she guessed was Ikuto running off. Tadase and Nadeshiko found me a couple minutes later."

The reactions were mixed. Tadase was looking angry again, as were Kukai and Nadeshiko to a lesser extent. Yaya looked amazed, as well as slightly upset that she hadn't been there for the action. Amu was having a very strange reaction - she was blushing. Was I missing something here? Was something about my story embarrassing to her or what?

"Have you had the nurse take a look at it yet, Yamada-san?" asked Tadase-kun, his princely face full of concern.

I shook my head. "Do you know how hard that would be to explain? I just decided to let it heal on its own and hope for the best."

"You know, that doesn't really sound like Ikuto." said Kukai thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" asked Tadase, his face immediately going from concern to anger at the mention of Ikuto. "He has caused us nothing but trouble. Who's to say he wouldn't do something like this?"

My heart was thudding away in my chest. Was Kukai on to my lie? "Well, I mean, think about it." Kukai explained. "What reason would Ikuto have for hurting Miyuki-san if she was already unconscious? And she had to be unconscious if she doesn't remember anything. Even Ikuto doesn't hurt just for the sake of it. Does he?"

Tadase thought hard, torn between blaming Ikuto and listening to reason. But reason won out. "You're right. Something else must have happened. Yamada-san, are you sure you don't remember anything else?" Tadase looked at me intensely, as if willing me to remember something. My heart was thudding away as fast a as rabbit's by this point - I felt sure they were going to see through my ruse. Everyone else was staring at me,waiting for me to answer.

"Oh, um... I don't know. I, uh, I don't think I can remember anything else. I don't even remember where or when I stopped remembering anything...." My argument sounded so weak to me. However, the guardians were trusting. I was relieved and just a tiny bit guilty when I saw that they totally and one hundred percent believed me.

"I'm sorry..." I added as an afterthought. They thought I was apologizing for not remembering anything. And, of course, that's what I wanted them to think. But really, I saw this as my one chance to apologize for everything I might end up doing to them. I caught a quick glare from Azami. _She _knew what I meant. And she would probably say something like a dragon is never sorry for anything, but I didn't care this time.

"No, no, it's fine, Miyuki-san." said Kukai.

"So what are we going to do about Ikuto, Tadase-kun?" asked Nadeshiko.

"We won't be able to find him if he doesn't want to be found." replied Tadase. "We'll all just have to stay alert. You especially." He said the last part as he looked straight at me, his eyes intense. I blushed and looked down. I knew I didn't really like him, but he _was _really cute...

"Y-yeah. I'll be fine." I answered.

* * *

Thanks for reading yet again! And for reviewing! Thanks a lot to my newest reviewer/favoriter Bookits! It's great that you like it!

Also, I'm probably either going to shorten these little post-chapter author comment things starting soon, or perhaps get rid of them completely. Or, more likely, I'll stop doing them all together. I feel like they take away from the story itself. However, let me know what you think - if you guys want me to keep doing these little things, then I probably will.

Another thing, just so you know, I edited some of the other chapters after realizing that Tadase always calls people by their last name, and thus would call Miyuki 'Yamada-san,' not 'Miyuki-san.' But that's the only thing that was changed.

This chapter (and it's little post-chapter author commentary) is pretty short anyway... Well, I hope you keep on reading!


	16. Thoughts on a Roof

I swooped and dove, soaring through the air and marveling at the millions of lights below me. The cool night air rushing past my face, being caught and used by my wings - I'd needed a way to forget about things, and this was definitely it. I was taking a risk; if the guardians could feel the energy from my character transformation, chances were that they might try and find out what it was. But I doubted they would be able to catch me, seeing how high in the air I was and how fast I was flying. That didn't matter, anyways. All I wanted was to get away, perhaps to forget about my troubles for a bit, or perhaps to think on them in a different way.

A full week had passed since I'd received my bracelet from Nikaido. My powers were totally concealed - this past week, the guardians had often talked about how they weren't feeling the strange, mystery energy anymore. I could even chara-change and they wouldn't notice anything peculiar. I was relieved to know that my secret was safer. And yet, it made me feel like I was lying to them even more. No matter what, I couldn't get rid of the feeling of guilt. Not to mention, I was getting more and more friendly with the guardians. I mean, who couldn't? They were the nicest bunch of people around. As much as I hate nobility, I couldn't help liking them. In truth, I wouldn't want to be friends with someone like me. That would mean that that 'friend' would probably be all too likely to do something to me similar to the deceiptful behavior I had with the guardians right now. Over the past week, I'd caught even more X-eggs, which just made me feel even worse.

And that's why I had to get away. I had to leave my troubles behind on the ground and just let myself soar. It was night, so I doubted anyone would notice me as I flew over the city. The pure exhilaration of flying just for fun chased any thoughts from my head. I did every stunt imaginable - loop-the-loops, steep dives, flying just over the water of the river. Every now and then, I just glided, enjoying the feeling of refreshment that came with flight.

The city shone like a beacon below me. Whether I was above homes or downtown, the light followed. No matter how high I tried to go, I could never even see the stars. I was tempted to just fly out of the city and leave it all behind - perhaps try to find a way to live away from the smog and pollution that came with it. But that idea was more like a passing thought, and I never truly considered it. For all its faults, I loved the city too much to just leave like that.

I didn't fly for too long tonight. It's not so much that I was bored of it, but... It was just that, I think I knew somewhere inside me that I really had to think about my problems - I couldn't just avoid them all night. I probably flew for no longer than an hour before I touched down on the roof of a building that was about nine stories high. As soon as I halted, my chara-nari vanished and Azami was back by my side. Walking slowly, I made my way over to the ledge of the building. Despite the long drop, I wasn't afraid. Why should I be, when I could fly anyway? I took a seat on the ledge, and watched the cars go by beneath me. Azami landed on top of my head, but waited for me to initiate any conversation.

"So, dragons don't normally have friends, do they?" I asked. I was totally logical now. It seemed like it wasn't even me talking. Or, more accurately, it was like I was talking but I had left any unreasonable emotions behind in the sky. All I had was a complete calm about me now.

"No." said Azami flatly. "Not unless they can get something useful from the friend. And in that case, they're not really 'friends' by your definition."

"But what about me?" I asked. "I mean, I'm not a dragon. I can always strive to be one, and perhaps one day I can become one. But for now, I think I need to recognize that I'm at least mostly human. And humans are social creatures. Don't you think so?"

"Well, it's true that humans are social." She replied. I felt her ruffle her wings a bit on the top of my head before settling again. "But you shouldn't just settle. If you want to be a dragon, you have to go all the way."

"Yeah, but think of it this way." I said as I watched a particularly fancy car pass below me. "I want power. That much you know. But I also want to be friends with the guardians. So what would a dragon do, when forced to choose?"

"Well..." Azami thought for a moment. "Perhaps she would choose whichever one she fancied at the moment. Or maybe she would choose both - as I said, a dragon doesn't normally just settle. If she wants two things, she should get those two things."

"But you see, I don't think I can. I mean, that works for now. But what about when the guardians find out about me working for Easter? I doubt I can be friends with them after that, unless I terminated my employment to the company and probably end up losing my power."

"Which do you want to choose?"

I stared at the street below for a good few minutes before answering, and Azami respected my silence. "I don't know. I don't think I'll ever know until I'm forced to choose."

"Then just go with the flow until then. Be friends with the guardians and keep your power. When the choice comes, the choice comes. We'll deal with it then." Azami said.

"But I keep telling myself that, but no matter what, I end up worrying about it. Feeling guilty, or sad, or something like that. I can't help it - as I said, I'm still human. Perhaps a human with a bit a dragon blood in the mix, but still human." I said.

"Then you can't just tell yourself that. You have to believe it, too. Let your dragon side take over, and live in the present. Can you do it?"

"I'm not sure."

In response, I received a nice, solid whack to the head. "Of course you can do it." Said Azami. "I say that you can do it, so you can do it. Got it? Or do I have to whack some more sense into you?"

I laughed. It was strange, but I was feeling a lot better now. Maybe I had just needed some advice. Or maybe I had needed to put my doubts into actual words. Or perhaps it had just been that marvelous flight. But whatever it had been, it had worked. I felt the guilt leaving me. "Yeah, I got it." I replied. And I actually meant it. It seemed like the weight of any of my hesitantcy and regrets had been lifted off of my shoulders. I think that this time, I might actually be able to do it - that is, I might actually do what Azami said and live in the present. I would enjoy what time I had with both my powers and my friends, and make the choice when that day came. Who knows? Perhaps the guardians would never find out, and I would never have to choose. I had no way of knowing either way.

I got up casually, and Azami got off of my head and instead floated next to my shoulder. I walked slowly across the roof, not really for any reason. The calm from before still had hold of me. I felt perfectly reasonable. I recalled that on Monday, Nikaido would be having all of us recite our assigned poems in front of the class. I started going over it, though I already knew it by heart.

"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice." I began. "From what I've tasted of desire-"

"I hold with those who favor fire." Azami said, finishing the sentence and smiling.

Getting the idea, I said the next line. "But if it had to perish twice-"

"-I think I know enough of hate-" said Azami, emphasizing the word 'hate' with a cynical enthusiasm.

I continued to the next line. "-to say that for destruction ice-"

"-is also great, and w... would..." Azami's voice trailed off. I looked over to where she was hovering above my right shoulder. Her demeanor was suddenly changing. Her wings, tail, and shoulders all began to droop as she gazed unseeingly into the distance. She began to lower in the air slowly, as if she had even lost the will to stay afloat.

I turned to her and reached out my hands, allowing her to fall into my palms. She barely seemed to notice. "Azami, what's wrong?" I asked. "Are you sick? Can charas even get sick?"

She remained speechless. She simply kept on staring, her eyes unfocused. I recognized that look from somewhere. It confused me to see it in Azami's red eyes, but there was only one thing it could be.

"Come on, Azami, what's going on?" I said. "Can you hear me? Azami? Hello? Aza... Azami...?" I had just enough sense to sit down and lay Azami next to me before the feeling overtook me. I hadn't felt it this past week, and I'd been hoping that I was getting used to the power enough that I could control it now. But no dice. It was the dark feeling once again.

There is no way for anyone to truly understand the feeling unless they have felt true hopelessness before. And though absolute hopelessness is horrible in and of itself, this feeling was even worse. It wasn't just mental - it was physical as well. Or, it seemed physical. I imagined that the feeling was a dark serpent of black fog emerging from me, wrapping itself around my body and slowly squeezing every ounce of life - or, more accurately, every ounce of hope - out of me. It started at the chest, and then worked its way out - to the arms, to the legs, and eventually, to the mind. It obliterated all other thoughts. It was all there is. The world around me no longer existed. Not even I existed. All that existed was the hopelessness.

Or perhaps the snake metaphor isn't an accurate enough description. If you could be smothered from the inside out, then that is a better way of thinking about it. Almost everyone has heard or seen something that truly moved them - a stunning panorama, a beautiful song, or even a great poem. All of those bring about a feeling of fullness, a sense of complete peace or satisfaction or happiness. If an exact opposite of that feeling is possible, then this would be it. Still filling you up, but with only negative instead of positive emotions. If it was possible, I would say that it felt like being filled with emptiness. I try to describe it as best I can, but like a great sight or a touching song, it is beyond any number of sentences I could devote to it. Like the times before, all there was was darkness. Nothing but an all-consuming monster that fed upon every sensible thought and every good emotion that I had.

The time spent there, curled up on the ground, seemed like both an infinity and the blink of an eye. Eventually, I found myself to be in control of my senses. It came so gradually and yet so suddenly that it surprised me for a moment. I raised my hands in front of my face and clenched them a few times, as if in assurance that I was back in control of myself. Then I remembered Azami. She was still in the trance-like state, lying on her back with her wings spread out awkwardly to either side of her.

I wasn't worried about the feeling coming back - for now, at least. In an attempt to revive my little dragon, I grabbed her by the tail and dangled her upside down. She still didn't respond. And so, I flicked her in the head with my other hand, making her swing back and forth like a pendulum. This got her attention.

"Hey! Is that really necessary?!? Let me go!" She demanded, opening her wings and flapping in an attempt to stay upright.

"Why should I?" I asked as I let her go anyway. She dropped a couple inches before catching herself and hovering. I stared at her, expecting her to say something.

"What?" She asked impertinently.

"What just happened? You totally blanked out, and then the dark feeling came upon me and neither of us could really do anything." I said.

"I doubt it was really anything." said Azami. But no matter how great she was at lying, I knew that this was not something to be ignored.

"Of course it was something!" I said. "And I think you know more about it than I do. Hurry up and spill the beans."

"There's nothing to be said." Said Azami, so confidently that for a moment I actually believed her. But only for a moment. This was too serious to be convinced so easily away from my instinct.

I was about to argue, but Azami quickly changed the subject. "What time is it, anyway?" she asked.

It struck me that I really had no idea how much time had passed. I pulled out my cell phone - the gift from Easter - out from my pocket and turned it on. Despite my orders to keep it always on in case they needed to contact me, I usually kept it turned off. I was shocked at the time it displayed - it was already one in the morning. I must have been in that daze for at least a good two or three hours. I vaguely realized just how dangerous that could be, for both my physical health and my secret.

Almost even more shocking, I saw that I had a text message. And it wasn't from any of the guardians, either. They were more or less the only ones who even had my number. Rather, I saw that the text was from my big-bad employer itself: Easter. It had been sent earlier on Friday, when I had still been at school. The message was short and sounded choppily written, but it got the point across. I was both excited and (based on this evening's events) just a bit scared at what the text said.

COME TO EASTER NEXT SATURDAY, A WEEK FROM TOMORROW. YOU WILL BE GETTING MORE X-ENERGY.

* * *

After this chapter, I'll probably stop completely with these little author comments I do. As I said, I feel like they take away from the story. I'll probably do it every now and then, to thank new and continuing reviewers, but probably only once every couple of chapters. This doesn't mean that I'm any less grateful to my readers or reviewers - I simply don't want to take away from the story itself. Every now and then, I might have something that needs to be said that I'll write in one of these little comments at the end of a chapter, but other than that and thanking reviewers, I won't be doing these much anymore. Just so you know.

Thanks to Kitty Obsessive Disorder for reviewing the last chapter (I think - the review says it was for chapter one, but I'm guessing it was for 15). Sorry about your brain puddle. I know how you feel, and I personally hate it when my brain melts in such a manner.

Though I won't be saying it every chapter now, reviews are always appreciated. (Unless they're flaming. Which would sort of negate my underlined 'always' in that sentence, but oh well.) Please review, either for encouragement or to help me improve!


	17. Am I Forgetting Something?

You know, I sometimes miss America. There are just some great things about it. The wide open skies, the climate... Oh, and getting to wear jeans. That was great. Jeans are just something that isn't stylish for girls to wear. Or, at least, not in this area. I had really liked how they looked. And while there were some things about skirts and shorts I liked, there were certainly some disadvantages to them as well. I had some fairly good memories from my short time spent in the U.S. a couple of years ago. High among the reason was that I had received my dragon necklace there. Something nagged at my thoughts concerning that. What about my necklace was bothering me? I tried to think hard.

I had just about pinned down my concern when a piece of paper was put on the desk in front of me and I was jerked back to reality, completely forgetting about it. It was Tuesday, the day after I had had to recite my poem to the rest of the class. As well as listen to the other students recite their poems - more often forgetting lines than remembering. I had managed to say my poem flawlessly, despite some fears that the dark feeling might come back. Amu hadn't done badly - a couple of prompts from Nikaido to help her along and she was perfectly fine.

Also, I only had four more days until I got my X-energy power-up. It seemed like I had just got rid of one worry (that being my guilt) when another worry comes to replace it. I'd thought about it a bit. Despite that little - I dunno what you want to call it, a relapse, perhaps? Despite that little relapse last Friday evening, I still hadn't had any other moments of darkness for over a week. I figured that I was just getting better at holding it back or something. In which case, I could easily get used to more energy. And, of course, I loved having the power. Maybe next time it would be Ikuto who needed to be escorted home, rather than me. Even if Azami and I were the ones who instigated the fight, I was still pretty darn angry about how it had turned out.

All in all, I was excited about getting more X-energy. So far, Nikaido hadn't mentioned it to me. And nor had I mentioned my soon-to-be power-boost to him. I wondered if perhaps Easter was leaving him in the dark about that. If so, I wasn't going to be the one to cure his ignorance. Chances were, there would be one day where I would just get so annoyed by Nikaido's fake teacher act that I would just snap. And if that happened, it would proabably be good to have a little extra power that he doesn't know about.

Noticing some groans around me, I once again brought my attention away from my thoughts and back to reality. I took a look at the paper on my desk and just about joined in on the general discontent. It was another poem. I knew enough about literature to recognize the author: Edgar Allan Poe. If I was correct, one of the foremost authors of dark, depressing, and often disturbing stories. And if I had any doubts about that, all I had to do was look at the title of the poem.

"Alone"

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

From childhood's hour I have not been  
As others were—I have not seen  
As others saw—I could not bring  
My passions from a common spring—  
From the same source I have not taken  
My sorrow—I could not awaken  
My heart to joy at the same tone—  
And all I lov'd—_I_ lov'd alone—  
_Then_—in my childhood—in the dawn  
Of a most stormy life—was drawn  
From ev'ry depth of good and ill  
The mystery which binds me still—  
From the torrent, or the fountain—  
From the red cliff of the mountain—  
From the sun that 'round me roll'd  
In its autumn tint of gold—  
From the lightning in the sky  
As it pass'd me flying by—  
From the thunder, and the storm—  
And the cloud that took the form  
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)  
Of a demon in my view—

If I had thought that _Fire and Ice _was the most depressing poem ever, I now had to think again. Admittedly, Robert Frost's poem on the end of the world was... well, about the end of the world. But at least that seemed to have an almost sarcastic or humorous tone to it. With how it was worded, at least. In that poem, he's talking so casually about how the world will end. But this poem - well, I had to admit that Edgar Allen Poe was quite a piece of work. Making something like this. And it didn't help that I had to admit that this, like _Fire and Ice_, was a superbly written poem. If it was just a few sentences trying to be passed off as poetry, then I could just memorize it and be done. But with a poem of this quality, I would probably have no choice but to really think about it, which would probably lead to depressing emotions, which would lead to....

I shook myself. If I could help it, I didn't want to relive Friday night again. I looked around. Yet again, no more depressing poems for the students around me. Almost everything around me was either very silly and happy and upbeat, or at the very worst, serious. But like last time, none except mine was about such a sorrowful or morbid subject. I glared at Nikaido, who was finishing handing out the last of the poems, but he seemed not to notice.

Actually, I take that back. Right as he gave away the last of the poems, he turned and walked over to me. Most of the other students were busy grumbling over their poems, and so weren't really paying attention. Once he was next to my desk, he said in a quiet (and yet not secretive) voice, "Mizuki-san, would you please stay after school today?" Then he left again, going up in front of the class to tell us we had just over two weeks to memorize these poems. That would take us a bit more than halfway through the month.

I realized just how close the end of the semester was. It was the first full week of November right now; only six more weeks and it would be the last week of school. While it would be great not to have to sit seven hours in a classroom every day, I thought that I might actually be sad when the break came. I probably wouldn't get to see the guardians every day. But then again, there was obviously still next semester.

* * *

"So what is it this time?" I asked Nikaido once all the other students had left. "You couldn't possibly want more X-eggs. I just gave them all to you last Friday."

"You really should be more respectful to your teacher, Mizuki-san." He said as he shuffled through some papers. "You're just lucky that I'm such a nice teacher who doesn't mind such a disrespectful student."

"Yeah, yeah." I said, rolling my eyes. Despite my attitude, I was still intensely creeped out by Nikaido. But I tried to hide it under my layer of impudence. "I'm _ever _so blessed to have you as a teacher, Nikaido-sensei." I said, my voice filled to the brim with sarcasm.

"I'm so glad you think so!" said Nikaido brightly, as if he hadn't caught how sarcastic the comment was. "However, we should skip the flattery and get to your business here. Do you know who Hayashi Hideki is? He's in this class."

"I know who he is." I said. "But I've never talked to him."

"Well, he normally talks with his friends in front of the school about this time. I want you to go up and try to scratch him with your chara-change. And of course, you'd want to do this without being caught."

"Why him?" I asked.

"Because, his heart is already wavering. It shouldn't be hard." Nikaido replied as he started putting some papers in his briefcase.

I thought for a moment. "But I was under the impression that you could draw out X-eggs."

"And why would you think that?" he asked.

"You're always around whenever I've seen X-eggs here. Add that to the fact you can see charas and you work for Easter, and it's not to hard to figure out." I said.

"Oh? Perhaps I am teaching you something, after all." said Nikaido. "Well, then think of it this way. Whenever I draw out an X-egg, the guardians always purify it. If you also cause an X-egg to come out while I draw out another, then chances are that at least one of us will get the egg."

I frowned a bit. "But why do we need to get X-eggs here so bad? I can get plenty of X-eggs outside of school."

Nikadio looked up at me and smiled. Any cockiness I had left. I hated that evil smile of his. "Do you really need to question everything I order? Do remember, you have to do whatever I say, Mizuki-san."

I remained silent, not replying.

"Did you hear me, Mizuki-san? You really ought to answer when I'm talking to you." He said, with just a hint of threat behind the kind outer facade.

"Y-yeah." I said. I couldn't help but stutter a little. His cold amber eyes were drilling into me. As always, I couldn't meet his gaze.

"Good!" Said Nikaido brightly, turning his stare away from me. "You may go now. Have a good day, Mizuki-san!"

As soon as we were out of the room and the door was closed, Azami started talking. "Why in the world are you still freaked out by Nikaido? Perhaps I could understand it the first time - I mean, you had thought he was a perfectly average teacher - but now? He may be evil, but he's just a human. Be a dragon, for crying out loud!"

We started walking down the stairs and out to the front of the school. "Fine." I replied. "Then character change with me next time so that I can at least get used to acting like a dragon."

"Only if you promise to try it yourself after that." Azami said.

I thought about it. "Deal." Of course, if I was a dragon who did whatever I wanted, who said I had to follow up on the promise?

As we exited the school, I saw Hideki just a few feet away, talking with some friends. Not only that, but he was even standing around the route I would normally take to get to the royal garden, which is where I would be going after this. He was making this incredibly easy for me.

"You ready, Azami?" I murmered.

"Of course I am! Chara-change!" she said. My eyes and necklace turned red as they always did, and my nails grew longer and sharper. As I walked past my unsuspecting victim, I raised my arm just a bit and scratched him. I made it a tiny scratch - I wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious of a massive gash in his arm. Whether or not he noticed my attack, I don't know, since I just kept on walking straight forward. I didn't know how long it would take to sink in - perhaps it would be forestalled for a bit because he was talking to friends. I mean, the darkness never rose inside of me when I was around the guardians. I didn't think this should be much different.

I kept walking and was fairly soon at the garden, where the rest of the guardians were. Azami wasn't feeling any X-egg yet, so we supposed we might as well go in.

"Oh, hello Yamada-san." said Tadase as they stopped whatever conversation they were having to welcome me. "We were just talking about Friday night. We each separately felt a dark energy, but we couldn't find any X-eggs when we went to look."

"It was gone before we could find it." said Nadeshiko.

Yaya stood up adamantly. "Yaya saw it! There was a giant bird going over Yaya's house when she felt the X-eggs!"

All of the guardians kind of rolled their eyes at this. I don't think any of them believed her, or at least not word for word. But Yaya was way to close to the right idea for me to be comfortable. I was worried - I hadn't really been paying attention where I was flying that night, and it looked like I'd managed to go near enough to everyone's houses that they could feel the energy.

As I took my seat, Amu said, "What we think Yaya means is that there was something that went over her house when she felt the energy - perhaps a flock of X-eggs."

"No, no, no! Yaya saw a big black bird!" Yaya fussed.

"Okay, okay!" said Kukai with a laugh. "If you say you saw a big bird, then I believe you!"

"What about you two?" asked Miki, hovering near Amu's shoulder. "Did you two feel anything?"

"I did." said Azami. "But I felt it for such a short time that I didn't bother telling Miyuki-chan."

I got the idea. "Why you little...! You didn't tell me the last time something like this happened, either!" I was surprised. My anger actually sounded convincing - or, at least, it seemed that way to me. Maybe I really was slowly becoming my would-be self. I mean, a chara-change with Azami always made me a great liar as well.

"Tadase-kun, I don't like this." said Nadeshiko. "All these strange feelings... and the amount of X-eggs recently, too."

Tadase nodded. "I know what you mean. It seems like someone - probably Easter - is planning something."

"But what are we going to do, Tadase-kun?" asked Amu.

"We're in the same position as we have been." said Tadase. "We can't do anything if we don't know what Easter is up to."

"Then why worry about it?" asked Kukai with a grin. "Besides, it's not like Easter has directly attacked us."

"What about what happened to Miyuki-san?" asked Nadeshiko, smiling at Kukai's forgetfulness.

"Oh. Yeah, that's right!" he said, laughing at his temporary lapse of memory. "But even then, you healed quickly enough from it!" He was right about that - I'd had my bandages off in just a couple days, the slashes nearly done healing. I wondered if that fast healing had anything to do with the X-energy... but my mind was wandering again. I brought it back to the conversation at hand.

"Well, I agree with Kukai." said Amu, for once speaking her mind. She normally wasn't very vocal in decisions like this. "If we-"

She stopped as all the charas gathered on and around the table flinched and turned to something that the guardians and I couldn't see.

Azami was the first to say it. "An X-egg!"

"Let's go." said Tadase. We all got rapidly go up and ran to the door to leave the garden. But this time we were a bit trickier about it. We didn't want to draw attention like the last time. Instead of bursting out, we quietly opened the doors and slipped through some trees into the park-like area of the school grounds. The entrance of the royal garden was far enough away from where most of the people congregated after school that no one noticed us. Or, if they did, they didn't make a big deal about it.

"Where's the X-egg?" Amu asked once we were out of hearing range of the other students.

"It's that way!" said Ran, pointing farther into the trees. But then all the chara's turned in unison towards the school.

"There's another egg in there!" Daichi exclaimed.

"What?" said Amu. "Two X-eggs? But which one do we go after?"

Tadase turned to Kukai. "Why don't you and Yuiki-san go with Amu - I'll go with Fujisaki-san and Yamada-san to hold off the other one until Hinamori-san can come and purify the egg."

Kukai did a thumbs up. "Roger! Come on, guys!" Before I could really comprehend it, he had grabbed Yaya's arm with one hand and Amu's arm in the other and dashed off.

"Please wait, desu~!" Su shouted as she, Ran, Miki, and Pepe tried to catch up with Amu, Yaya, Kukai, and Daichi.

I grinned, but Nadeshiko and Tadase were both serious. I let the smile fade as we ran off in the other direction, towards the school. We went in by one of the side doors of the school, so as to avoid the stares of the students still hanging around the front.

"That way, commoners!" Kiseki said, directing us down a hall to our right as soon as we were in the building. The rest of us silently followed. I normally wouldn't trust Kiseki's sense of direction, but since neither Azami nor Temari were arguing with it, I guessed we were going the right way. Eventually, we entered the computer lab.

"It's in here." said Temari.

We looked around. There were probably at least thirty or so computers in the room, lined up in six rows.

"Where is it?" I asked. "I'm not seeing it anywhere."

"Let's look through the rows. Maybe it's hiding." suggested Nadeshiko.

We sort-of split up, each picking a different row of computers to look through. Each of us went through our first row without finding anything. Then, as I was making my way through my second row, I heard it: an extremely faint clattering sound.

Breaking the almost-silence, Tadase turned to Kiseki and asked, "Are you sure there's something in here?"

"Shhh!" I said, cutting off whatever Kiseki had been about to say. Nadeshiko and Tadase watched me curiously as I tried to pinpoint the sound. I walked forward a bit, then heard the noise just to my right. I looked over, and hunched between the hardrive and the monitor was an X-egg, trembling in apparent fear. I thought about pocketing it - that was what Nikaido had ordered me to do - but I doubted I could get away with it.

"Found it!" I said, smiling, as Azami triggered a chara-change. My gaze paralyzed the already terrified X-egg, making sure that it wouldn't get away.

Without removing my gaze, I said, "Okay, I've got the little guy stuck here. But I'm not sure how long my concentration will hold."

"Great job, Yamada-san!" said Tadase as he rushed over, followed by Nadeshiko. I was already getting distracted, though, and it took all my will power to keep my eyes trained on the egg. I mean, watching an X-egg tremble isn't exactly the most entertaining thing in the world.

"You know, you guys could go help Amu." I said. I thought I should at least make an attempt and grabbing this egg, though I couldn't as long as they were around. "Then you all could come back so Amu could purify the egg."

"No. We won't abandon you, Miyuki-san." said Nadeshiko. I was both touched and offended at the same time. On one hand, it was nice of them not to just leave me. On the other hand, I almost thought that them not leaving me alone was a sign that they thought I was weak. Perhaps they were thinking that I couldn't take care of a single X-egg by myself. But I doubted she was implying that. It was probably just my imagination getting away from me.

"Okay, thanks." I said, "But please keep talking. I need something to think about, or else my eyes are going to wander." I said. Which was true. If I had something to do as I stared at the egg, I thought perhaps I'd be able to not get too bored with my task.

"Oh, got it." Said Nadeshiko. "Did I tell you what Temari did the other day?"

"No." I said, curious. "What'd she do?"

Temari quietly interrupted before Nadeshiko could answer, "Please don't, Nade-"

Then Temari was interrupted as Amu barged into the room. And my concentration broke. I immediately turned to look at Amu, not thinking about the X-egg. Amu was in her customary pink cheerleader outfit, having character-transformed with Ran.

"Useless!" I heard the X-egg say from behind me as it darted off. But Tadase and Nadeshiko were thankfully thinking ahead. They dashed off in front of each of the two windows of the computer lab, blocking any chance of escape. The X-egg turned back to the doorway, but that was blocked by Amu, Yaya, and Kukai. As it hesitated, looking for a way out, Amu took her chance.

"Negative heart! Lock on!" Amu shouted as a pink glow came from her humpty lock. "Open Heart!" The pink light went through her hands, targeting the X-egg. The X-egg turned white in the light, and Amu stepped out of the way as the purified egg zoomed out the door past her, presumable to return to its owner. My eyes, necklace, and finger nails went back to normal as my chara change faded, and Amu's outfit was replaced by her normal uniform.

"So were you able to purify the other X-egg, Hinamori-san?" asked Tadase.

"Yeah." Amu said. "It was from a kid in our class."

"But what are the chances that there would be two X-eggs at once?" asked Kukai, while stretching his arms in front of him.

"Yaya thinks it must be Easter again!" Yaya said.

"But what are they doing?" asked Nadeshiko, concerned.

_It seems like we're coming back to this subject a lot. _I thought to myself.

Tadase clenched his fists, angry. "That's the problem. We just don't know what they could be doing with those X-eggs. Do they think the embryo will come out if they collect a lot of X-eggs?"

"Who knows what Easter thinks?" asked Kukai, not expecting an answer.

Inwardly, I agreed with Kukai. Even I didn't know what Easter thought they were doing.

* * *

As I walked back from school that day, I couldn't help but feel I had forgotten something. I racked my brains for an answer. I tried to think back through the day... was it something to do with getting more X-egg power? No, that didn't seem right. Did it have to do with the X-eggs today? That seemed to ring a bell. I tried to remember everything concerning that. And then I remembered: I still wanted to know what it was Temari did the other night, as Nadeshiko had been saying. I made a mental note to ask Nadeshiko tomorrow. But something still nagged at me. It felt important.

But what was it?

* * *

*If you didn't get a chance to read my note that I have now deleted, the reason I haven't posted for a while is ebcause I had the chance to send some short stories in to be published locally, and had been focusing my energies on that so I could get my stories in before the due date*

Sorry about the temporary absence. (I'm also sorry about this probably horrible chapter that has resulted in not writing in this story for a while.) However, I did get my two short stories written, and I'll keep you updated as to whether they make it into this little locally published thing. One of them is actually based on the themes of shugo chara - believing in your dreams, how bad hopelessness is, etc. Although it bares no resemblance whatsoever to the anime/manga. It's like a complete opposite, actually.

All the poems I get for this story I obtain from www[dot]poetryoutloud[dot]org. If you're in to poetry, it's a really nice site. I obviously own none of the poems that I've been putting on here. I'll let you know if I right something original like that.

Finally, I would like to ask anyone who has read my story so far to take the poll that I've put on my profile. It concerns how well you think I'm doing with this fanfic. After I realized that this site randomly arranges the order of the questions, I tried to edit them and label the questions as per category, but as of the time I'm writing this that wasn't working right. Please just check whichever statements you agree with, and just give me your true and honest opinions. I'll probably be doing this periodically throughout the story.

Anyway, as always, I'm grateful to you for reading! If I'm lucky, I'll get another chapter out sometime this weekend.


	18. Nikaidophobia

I looked at the clock on the wall as I waited by the door. I had received another text message from Easter, saying that I would be picked up at ten 'o clock this morning. It was already seven minutes past ten. As if I wasn't already nervous enough about getting more X-energy, now I was being forced to wait. Don't get me wrong; I was still looking forward to getting more power. But that simply made me excited, which in turn made me more nervous. My outfit was actually a lot cheerier than my last visit - this time, I had dressed in a short sky-blue and lavender skirt, with a similarly colored top. I kept my hair the same as ever; there really wasn't much I could do with it when it was this short. I also had on my necklace, the bracelet that concealed my X-egg power, and a pair of comfortable flip-flops. Not the most professional looking outfit, but then again, I wasn't the most professional kind of girl.

"Just calm down." said Azami, with just a hint of amusement to her voice. "I'm sure they'll be here to pick you up any time now."

"I know." I said as I turned to my chara. "But it just bugs me that-" I broke off as a caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked back out the window to see that a black car had pulled into my driveway. But instead of being relieved, I groaned. That black car was much too familiar for comfort. There was no one else it could be. I looked to see who was sitting in the driver's seat and, sure enough, it was Nikaido. Seeing me peeking out the window, he smiled and waved. Azami giggled at this, and I glared at her in return. She definitely got way too much enjoyment out of watching me try and deal with Nikaido.

"Hey, just remember what you said the other day." I said I opened the door to go outside. "You said you would chara-change with me the next time I had to talk to Nikaido."

"So I did. And maybe I will, maybe I won't." Azami replied before I opened the passenger door and got into the car.

"Good morning, Mizuki-san!" said Nikaido as he backed the car out of the driveway. "How are you doing?"

"Fine." I mumbled back, looking out the window and trying to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Ah, good, good." He said. "And how about you, Azami-san?"

"I'm doing perfectly fine. Thanks for asking." Azami replied cheerily.

"Wonderful!" Nikaido said. To someone not paying attention, his attitude would seem completely genuine. But I could hear that just slight bit of malice behind his voice. I hated it. I tried to distract myself from him by looking at the different people and houses as we drove by, but it was no use. I had no idea why I was so bothered by it, but his attitude and demeanor were just like nails on a chalkboard. It made me feel angry and scared at the same time. Mostly scared. He didn't talk for a while then, so that we were sitting in a bit of an awkward silence for a few minutes as he drove the car to Easter.

"So how far are you with memorizing your poem, Mizuki-san?" asked Nikaido casually after a while.

Oh yeah. The Edgar Allan Poe poem. Actually, I hadn't bothered looking at it yet. I was about to stutter out an answer, when I felt the familiar courage of a chara-change flow through me. "No. Why are you trying to mess with me by giving me such dark poems?"

I think he noticed that I had chara-changed, but if so, he didn't mention it. "I'm afraid I still don't know what you're talking about, Mizuki-san." Nikaido said. "Edgar Allan Poe is an extremely well-known poet, and I thought you might enjoy this particular work."

"Do you really think I'm going to be convinced by that?" I said, crossing my arms and glaring at him. He was smiling in the way that normally freaked me out, but it didn't bother me while I was chara-changed.

We were pulling up to the front of Easter right by now. Nikaido shook his head at me, as if amused. "I still have no idea what you're talking about. I figured that you could appreciate a truly great poem, and so I gave 'Alone' to you. But that's enough discussion on the issue. We're here!" He got out of the car, leaving it running. As I unbuckled, my chara-change faded and I stepped out as well. A guy in a suit - presumably working for Easter - stepped up and got into the drivers seat. He was probably going to park the car until we were done. I had to admit, Easter knew how to give themselves a highly professional image.

Nikaido led the way in to the building and straight to the elevators. As soon as the secretary saw him, she stood up and bowed respectfully. "Welcome back." She said.

In return, Nikaido gave a little friendly wave before pressing the 'up' button for the elevators. One of the doors immediately opened up, and we walked in. If anything, this was even more awkward than the car ride. Admittedly, it was much shorter, but still... At the very least, they didn't have any elevator music. That would have been the only thing that could have made it worse. Nikaido probably would've hummed along just to bug me.

Once the elevator doors opened back up, Nikaido led the way once again. He seemed to know his way around quite well. I noticed that we were on the same floor I had gone to last time, and he was leading me towards the same room. He didn't bother knocking - he simply opened the door and walked in. The three scientists were there, though I noticed that the manager of Easter wasn't here. Perhaps he no longer wanted to waste his time on me.

"Ah, Nikaido-sempai!" said the skinny guy scientist. "We didn't know we would be so blessed as to have you coming!"

_Suck up. _I thought to myself as I cast my glanced over to Azami, who looked like she had about the same thought on her mind.

"Well, I do feel somewhat responsible for young Mizuki-san's welfare, so I thought it would be best if I came along." Said Nikaido, acting like he was the most generous man in the world.

"How kind of you!" said the annoying suck-up scientist. Then he turned to me. "Miyuki-san, would you like to get started?"

"Eh-em!" coughed Azami from near my shoulder.

"Oh, and, uh, Empress Azami? Are you ready?" said the scientist, seemingly resigned to having to refer to Azami like that. I almost broke out laughing. Perhaps _I _should get him to call me Queen Miyuki, or something like that.

Azami smiled, then said, "Yes, I'm ready."

The burly scientist - who seemed normally to be more like a strong, silent type - suddenly spoke up. "Miyuki-san, would you please take off your bracelet? We don't want it possibly interfering in the process.

I shrugged and slid off the bracelet, handing it to the girl scientist. I really hadn't taken it off at all since receiving it - I didn't want to run the risk of the guardians sensing something, even when I wasn't anywhere near them.

The woman scientist opened the door to the side room, and Azami spread her wings and swooped into the room, landing right next to the crystal. Nikaido stood a little ways away from me, making sure that he was watching from a somewhat safe distance. Azami waited until the burly scientist nodded to her through the glass, and then she reached out and touched the crystal.

The same thing that I had seen last time happened again - for just a moment right as she touched it, a purple haze seemed to surround Azami and get sucked into the crystal. It seemed a bit darker to me, but then again, I was doubled over in the pain of it almost as soon as it happened. Then, the power came again. It didn't seem like quite as much as last time, though perhaps that was because I just knew what to expect now. I looked up as the X-energy gave me the strength to get over the pain from before. A dark cloud was hovering around Azami, and it seemed like she was absorbing it. Her face was lit up with exhilaration, and I could perfectly understand - the same power was coursing through me as well, making me feel great. Nothing could possibly get in our way with this much power at our disposal. Beneath it all, I felt the dark feeling within me grow just a bit stronger. But right now, I was too high on power to care.

Soon enough, the dark haze faded and one of the scientists opened the door so Azami could get out. The main rush was gone, but the power still felt as if it was buzzing just beneath the surface. Azami floated up to my shoulder and sat down, though I could feel in her tenseness how much she wanted to be up and moving.

The girl scientist walked up to me tentatively and held out the bracelet, looking genuinely concerned. "Are you alright, Miyuki-san and Azami-san?"

I nodded. "Perfectly fine."

"That was quite interesting, Mizuki-san." said Nikaido. "Now, would you please head down to the lobby for a minute? I need to talk with these amazing scientists for a moment or two."

I was reluctant to do what Nikaido said, but I was too hyped to argue. I even did a little bit of a wave good-bye as I walked out of the room. Azami immediately took off from my shoulder once the door was closed and began flying around. "We need to do this more often!" said Azami as I pressed the down button for the elevator.

"I agree." I said as I stepped into the elevator and started going down. "I feel amazing! Perhaps not as great as last time, but it's still awesome."

"Yeah! We should take another flight around the city!" said Azami.

"Maybe." I said, smiling at her energy. The elevator and the door opened, revealing a woman with reddish-brown hair and pale blue eyes. And just behind her, a girl who looked a couple years older than me. The girl had a sort-of Gothic Lolita dress on, and had long, blond hair which she had pulled up into two elegant-looking ponytails on either side of her head.

I was shocked. This was the newest, most popular idol in Japan: Hoshina Utau.

And if that wasn't enough to surprise me, then this was - next to her shoulder was a devilish-looking shugo chara.

I was just speechless for a moment. But before anyone really knew what was happening, Azami broke the stand still. She zoomed over to Hoshina Utau, stopping right in front of her shugo chara. I noticed that the shugo chara was actually somewhat similar to Azami - it had a tail (though it was more like a skinny, demon tail with a triangle at the end), small demon-like wings, and tiny horns. The wings were smaller, and didn't fold up like Azami's did, and the horns were a lot smaller than the longer, skinnier ones Azami had. But even more than that, she had a mischievous gleam in her eye almost exactly like the one Azami tended to have.

"Who are you?" Azami asked bluntly.

"Who am I?!" asked the chara incredulously. "I should be asking who in the world you are! You look like some kind of bad copy of me!"

Azami didn't waste any more time with discussion. She leaped forward, tackling the little demon chara and sending them both rolling through the air. Both pulled apart after a few seconds and they began circling, each trying to get at the other without being attacked herself. Both looked intensely fierce, though I doubted that Azami would actually do any damage. At this point, the elevator doors started closing on me and I quickly stepped out of the elevator.

"Iru, stop!" said Hoshina Utau commandingly, though the chara took no notice.

I was so amused at the fighting that I totally forgot that Utau was an idol. "No, just leave them." I said casually. "I doubt my chara is actually gonna hurt yours, and I'm not worried in the least about my chara getting hurt."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Utau, turning her attention to me with a slightly angry look.

I shrugged. "Interpret it how you want. But I'm rather enjoying watching this, so don't stop them." Of course, I'd been implying that her chara was considerably weaker than my own. I was still feeling the rush from the X-energy, and wasn't about to back down if she wanted to start a fight. Even if she was a famous super star.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" asked the lady with the red hair as she scrutinized me.

I shrugged again, turning away from the quarrelling charas.. "I can't say that I've ever seen you anywhere."

She looked at me harder. "That's it!" she said suddenly. "You're the girl who Yuu's in charge of. Yamada Miyuki, right?"

"Uh, yeah." I said, annoyed that she knew who I was and I had no idea who she was. I was also a bit surprised that she was familiar enough with my Nikaido to call him by his first name. But mostly, I was annoyed. As daring as I was feeling right now, I decided to go with an insult in retaliation. "What about it, old lady?"

This seemed to hit a nerve. Her face practically turned a whole shade redder, and she glared at me. "I am not an old lady! You just tell Yuu that-"

"Tell me what?" asked an all-too-familiar voice from off to my left. I looked over to see that Nikaido had just emerged from one of the other elevators without either I or this lady noticing. Except this time, his voice was different. It wasn't the fake, school-teacher voice he always used around me. Now, it was calm and clearly menacing. I almost sighed with relief - I could handle Nikaido like this. In fact, it was amazing just how much I was no longer bothered by him. Now, he seemed no more threatening to me than any other person.

The lady immediately composed herself, taking on a similar - though slightly less menacing - demeanor. "I simply wanted to let you know that I can not believe how disrespectful you allow your underling to be."

"Woah, underling?" I said defiantly. "I wouldn't exactly call myself an underling. More like someone who follows orders for convenience's sake."

They ignored me. Nikaido walked up, and I moved out of the way as he approached. The two - the lady and Nikaido - were now standing more or less face to face, and I was standing next to Hoshina Utau.

Nikaido smiled cruelly. "I am rather surprised that you are letting yourself be riled by a mere elementary school student, Sanjo Yukari." I got the feeling that Nikaido was saying her full name for my benefit.

"I would think that a teacher like you would be able to keep his students in line." Yukari replied back, seeming very slightly annoyed by what Nikaido had said.

Nikaido replied back with another witty remark, and she insinuated something else in return. Beside me, I heard Utau give a short sigh of frustration. "I'm supposed to be getting to a recording." she said. Now Azami flew back to my shoulder, as did Utau's chara fly to her own shoulder - Iru, I think she had called the little devilish chara. Azami seemed quite satisfied. Iru seemed content, too, though perhaps a bit more ruffled. I guessed that the fight had come out with Azami as the unofficial winner, but with both of them ending up enjoying it. It was a good way to burn off some energy, I guessed.

Turning my attention back to the Nikaido and Sanjo (who were still calmly criticizing each other), I leaned over to Utau and asked in a whisper, "Do they do this often? They seem to have quite a rivalry."

Utau seemed a bit angry with me still for my earlier comment, but she replied, "They used to date, but broke up a while back. Now they both compete here, seeing who can do the best at their job."

Now totally ignoring Yukari and my teacher, I turned to talk to Utau. She was a couple inches taller than me, but it didn't bother me too much. "I'm Yamada Miyuki, and this little mischief-maker on my shoulder is Azami." I said, introducing myself and my chara.

Utau hesitated a bit, as if unsure whether she wanted to be so friendly. Eventually, she gave me a small, well-controlled smile. It didn't look too incredibly kind, but that was fine with me. She introduced herself. "I'm Hoshina Utau. This is Iru, and this -" she looked around for a moment, then looked at Iru. "Where did Eru go?" she asked her chara.

"She was being naggy, so I chased her until she went away." said Iru with a cruel smile. It reminded me almost exactly of how Azami liked to deal with Kiseki.

Utau seemed unconcerned. "I have another chara named Eru, but she doesn't appear to be here at the moment."

"Two charas, huh?" I said. "Impressive. So anyway, what do you do for Easter? I know you sing, but do you do anything, you know, shugo chara related?"

Iru snickered evilly. "You bet she does. We chara-change, and-"

"Utau, quit talking. We need to get to your recording." Yukari said, interrupting what Iru was about to say.

Utau's demeanor immediately changed. She had never been exactly relaxed throughout our short conversation, but now she gained a new intensity. She gave me a brief glance - neither unfriendly, nor kind - before turning and going into the elevator with Sanjo.

Once the doors closed, Nikaido turned back to me. And his smile was back. "All right, Mizuki-san! Let's get going."

Despite the fact that I now knew without a doubt how Nikaido really was, it didn't lessen the effect his act had on me.

"O-okay." I said, following him out the door.

* * *

The short car ride back to my house wasn't very eventful. I was still more or less scared stiff of Nikaido, and Azami kind of glared at me in annoyance the whole way home. Perhaps she was amused by how scared I was sometimes, but now she was just getting frustrated at my irrational fear. And it was definitely irrational - no matter what I told myself when Nikaido wasn't around, I simply couldn't control the near panic that rose within me whenever he used that mask of kindness over his cruelty. I just couldn't get rid of my 'Nikaido-phobia', as I jokingly called it.

"So why _are _you bothered so much by him?" asked Azami later that night while we were in my room. We hadn't gone flying at all today, but we had enjoyed ourselves walking around the city.

I spun the swivel chair I was sitting in, which was both fun and slightly nauseating. "I don't know. I know I could deal with Nikaido, but..."

"But what?" challenged Azami. "What could possibly be this bad about a fake attitude?"

I stopped my spinning and shook my head. "I dunno. It's almost like..." I trailed off, not sure if I really wanted to voice my feeling.

"Like what?" asked Azami.

"Nothing." I said. "Just forget about it."

Despite Azami's prodding, I refused to tell her what I was thinking. Or, rather, what I was trying to avoid thinking. It almost seemed like if I acknowledged my worry, then I would be letting something horrible into the open that had been locked up for years. Something that I didn't want to think about. Or, more accurately, something I didn't want to remember.

"Come ON! Just tell me already!" Azami complained as I turned off the lights and went to bed.

I climbed into bed, the light from the hallway my only guide to keep me from running in to something in the dark. I felt like if I didn't address whatever it was now, then I would never be able to face it. Perhaps it would've helped me deal with Nikaido if I knew why I was afraid of him. But I couldn't do speak my concern. I was too afraid of what I would find out if I started delving into the topic. Whatever it was, my instinct told me it was something I didn't want to deal with.

"Good night, Azami." I said, ending the conversation.

* * *

*Edit - I realized I was being an idiot when I wrote this chapter weeks ago, and I had referred to Eru as Iru and vice-versa. It is now changed. And I call myself a Shugo Chara fan. I feel ashamed _*


	19. Suspicions

"Amu, do you mind if I walked with you for a little bit?" I asked as we grabbed our bags and prepared to head home. We had just finished up our guardian meeting for the day, in which we had discussed ways to prevent some sort of high-fever inducing virus that was currently spreading throughout the school. And I'd been wanting to talk to Amu for a while. I just never had the chance to talk to her at school without other people around.

"Sure, Miyuki." she said, looking a little bit confused. "But what for?"

I smiled and shrugged, a little bit embarrassed. "I just wanted to talk a bit."

"Okay." Amu said. We said our goodbyes to the rest of the guardians before splitting up, each heading to our respective houses. Well, except for me.

Once we were out of hearing distance of the others, Su was the one to start the conversation. "So what are you going to talk about, desu~?"

"I bet she wants Amu's advice about a guy she likes!" suggested Ran. "Just be honest!"

"Or she _could _just want to talk a bit." said Miki, rolling her eyes. As time went on, I found that I was liking Miki more and more. And Ran less and less.

"You guys!" Amu said, a bit embarrased by what her charas were saying. "Would you just let her talk?" Amu smiled at me, as if open to whatever I had to say. It felt really good to have someone I could talk to. Perhaps I couldn't talk to her about _everything_, but it was at least a start. Azami was the only one I could talk to about absolutely anything, and she didn't really count.

"Well... actually, it is sort of about a guy." I said, starting off.

"I knew it! Just be yourself, Miyuki-san! He'll definitely like you!" cheered Ran.

"W-wait, just a minute." said Amu, blushing a bit at where the topic seemed to be going. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a genius when it comes to boys."

"Oh, sorry." I said. "I don't mean about liking boys. I just..."

Amu seemed relieved that we weren't going to be talking about love or anything like that. "Just what?" she asked.

"Just that..." I was kinda reluctant to say it. I was afraid how Amu might react.

"Oh, get on with it!" Azami spoke up from where she was floating along with Amu's charas. "Miyuki-chan just wants to know what you think about Ikuto."

"Oh. Wait - Ikuto?" Amu looked down, blushing. Well, that wasn't the kind of reaction I was expecting. Perhaps this would be a rather interesting conversation. "Why do you want to know about him?"

Now I was the one who looked at the ground. I wondered what she would think if she knew that I hadn't told her or the rest of the guardians that I'd actually talked to Ikuto a couple of times. Though, admittedly, I hadn't seen him for a while now. I tried to think back... it was now the Thursday after I'd received my X-energy power-up, and the last time I'd seen Ikuto was sometime soon after the first time Azami and I had received X-energy (just trying to keep the days straight was confusing me). That made it about two weeks since I'd seen him. I remembered our last encounter - we perhaps didn't end on the best of terms. I can't say that I wanted to see him again, but... well, actually, I did kinda want to see him. If anything, perhaps that was just because I wanted to know what he was up to. Or maybe it was something more. I wasn't really sure myself.

Azami answered Amu's question. "Ikuto has come and talked to us a couple times. So Miyuki wants to know what you think of him. She didn't want to ask the rest of the guardians, since they seem to have been enemies with him longer."

Amu looked at me, as if to confirm what Azami was saying. "Uh, yeah, exactly like she said. You aren't angry at me for keeping it a secret, are you?"

Amu smiled kindly, and shook her head. "No, I understand. In truth, Ikuto visits me every now and then."

I'll admit, I was surprised. Ikuto visited Amu, too? "Really?"

"Yeah." Amu replied. "So can I ask you a question about him first?"

"Sure, I guess." I said.

"How does he talk to you? I mean, is he serious, or kind, or what?" Amu asked.

I thought back to our previous encounters. Each time I had met Ikuto, he had successfully taunted and insulted me. I got angry just remembering it. "He's so frustrating! One minute he seems serious, and then the next he's making fun of me and Azami!" I said, unable to hold back my wrath.

Amu didn't say anything for a moment, seeming a bit shocked by my sudden outburst. And then, she laughed. I could tell she wasn't laughing at me, but it still annoyed me. "What's so funny about that?" I asked, slilghtly offended.

"Nothing." she said, trying to halt her laughter. "It's just that he more or less does the same to me. Did I ever tell you about the day Ran hatched?"

"No." I replied, curious.

"Well, I'd found all three of the eggs on my bed that morning. Later in the day, during a school assembly where the guardians were talking to everyone, Ran chara-changed with me while she was still in her egg, and, uh..." she hesitated for a moment, blushing. "She made me confess in front of the whole school that I liked Tadase. But he rejected me..." she sort of trailed off. She didn't seem to be quite over the incident.

I could just imagine that. Amu, taken over by Ran's personality and saying that she loved Tadase. Perhaps it wasn't quite the smartest thing to do, but I couldn't help but ask, "Do you still like him?" I mean, I was pretty sure she liked him - she always got all dreamy whenever he was around, I'd noticed.

Amu hesitated for a moment, and so Ran chara-changed with her. I noticed that her normally x-shaped hair clip turned into a heart instead. "Of course I love him!" said the chara-changed Amu. "He's so cute and kind, and he's always thinking of others rather than himself."

Then the heart disappeared, and Amu covered her mouth in shock at what she had just said. Then she glared at Ran. "Just wait until I get my hands on you!" she said angrily, reaching into the air and trying to grab Ran. But Ran just dodged out of the way, cheering.

"Go, go, Amu-chan! Be honest! You don't have to hide your feelings!" Ran said.

"Ugh!" Amu half growled in frustration. She turned her attention back to me, seeming embarrassed. "Sorry about that..."

"Nah, it's okay." I said, just barely containing my laughter. "Anyway, go on with the story. I'm sorry I interrupted."

"Oh, yeah. Where did I leave off at?" Amu asked.

Su floated up. "You were at the part where Tadase said no, desu~."

Amu picked up where she left off, trying not to dwell on Tadase's rejection. "Well, I ran out of the assembly and, not looking where I was going, I fell into a hole at a construction site. I wasn't sure how I was going to get out, until Ran hatched and had me 'hop, step, jump' right on out of there. I ended up on a metal beam at the top of the building. That was when Ikuto came. He stole my other two eggs - in a rather perverted way, I might add - and he had the Humpty Lock already with him. I ran forward and grabbed my eggs from him, falling off the building in the process. But the Humpty Lock came to me and made me character transform with Ran, which saved me." She sighed. "Then I ended up falling anyway, and Tadase used his 'Holy Crown' or whatever you call it to save me."

"Wow. Sounds like a pretty exciting day." I said.

"Yeah." Amu replied. "Miki hatched the next day, and then Ikuto tried to steal Su's egg again right before she hatched. The funny thing was, he brought me some snacks later that night because he had more or less destroyed the fruit tarts I was making for Tadase."

"So what do you actually think about Ikuto?" I asked. I really wanted to have a second opinion from someone. I already knew what I thought about him.

"Umm..." Amu thought for a moment.

"Didn't you call him a 'perverted cat-eared cosplaying boy' at one point?" suggested Miki.

"Will you just be quiet!?!" said Amu, embarrassed again. Then she continued. "Well, while he can be really annoying sometimes... And while Tadase thinks he's horrible... I actually think he's good. Perhaps it's kinda deep down, but he's essentially a good person."

I nodded. "I agree. Although that doesn't get him off the hook for messing with Azami and I!"

Miki piped up again from above our heads, where she and the rest of the charas were floating. "So do you really not remember anything from that night you got scratched up? Or did you just not want the guardians to know you were with Ikuto?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." Amu added. "Ikuto didn't really attack you, did he? That really shocked me - I didn't think he would actually hurt someone like that."

I could have kept up the story that I didn't remember anything, but I wanted to let Amu know what had happened. Although I would still have to come up with a bit of a lie, which could have been a problem. But Azami took care of it for me.

"He mocked both of us one too many times." the dragon chara said. "We chara-changed, and he had to character-transform just to keep us back. Eventually, he managed to beat us, and you know the rest of the story."

"Really?" asked Amu. "I can't even imagine that - Ikuto not being able to win easily." Then Amu seemed to catch herself, and continued. "Not meaning to say that I don't think your strong, I just meant- It's just-"

"Don't worry, I get what you were trying to say." I said, grinning at her mistake. I decided to change the subject, to save her any further embarrassment. Plus, all this talk of cats had reminded me of something. "So what poem did you get this time from Nikaido? Wasn't your first one something about an owl and a cat?"

Amu nodded. "Yeah. My first one was called 'The Owl and The Pussy-Cat'. It was kinda odd, but funny at the same time. The one I got this time is 'Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes.'"

"Do you have it memorized yet?" I asked.

"Sort of." Amu replied. "I know most of it, and Miki is pretty good with helping me learn it. She's really great at this kind of fine art stuff, even if this isn't quite drawing."

I looked at Miki, who was practically beaming with pride.

"Do you want to practice saying it?" I asked. "I'd love to hear it."

"Oh... Uh, that's okay. It's kind of a silly poem." Amu said.

"That's okay." I replied. "I still want to hear it."

"Come on, Amu-chan." Miki encouraged. "I'll chara-change to help out."

"No, we're almost to my house, and -" Amu was cut off as Miki made her chara-changed, and the x-clip turned into a blue spade. And then, Amu (still walking along the sidewalk with me) began to recite her poem.

"Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat,  
Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes

By Thomas Gray

'Twas on a lofty vase's side,  
Where China's gayest art had dy'd  
The azure flow'rs that blow;  
Demurest of the tabby kind,  
The pensive Selima, reclin'd,  
Gazed on the lake below.

Her conscious tail her joy declar'd;  
The fair round face, the snowy beard,  
The velvet of her paws,  
Her coat, that with the tortoise vies,  
Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes,  
She saw: and purr'd applause.

Still had she gaz'd; but 'midst the tide  
Two angel forms were seen to glide,  
The Genii of the stream;  
Their scaly armour's Tyrian hue  
Thro' richest purple to the view  
Betray'd a golden gleam.

The hapless Nymph with wonder saw:  
A whisker first and then a claw,  
With many an ardent wish,  
She stretch'd in vain to reach the prize.  
What female heart can gold despise?  
What cat's averse to fish?

Presumptuous Maid! with looks intent  
Again she stretch'd, again she bent,  
Nor knew the gulf between.  
(Malignant Fate sat by, and smil'd)  
The slipp'ry verge her feet beguil'd,  
She tumbled headlong in.

Eight times emerging from the flood  
She mew'd to ev'ry wat'ry god,  
Some speedy aid to send.  
No Dolphin came, no Nereid stirr'd;  
Nor cruel Tom, nor Susan heard.  
A Fav'rite has no friend!

From hence, ye Beauties, undeceiv'd,  
Know, one false step is ne'er retriev'd,  
And be with caution bold.  
Not all that tempts your wand'ring eyes  
And heedless hearts is lawful prize,  
Nor all, that glisters, gold."

With the help of Miki's chara-change, she had recited it quite well. Beautifully, even. She had used great emphasis throughout the poem, and didn't hesitate once. It was actually rather sad and silly at the same time, and Amu's great retelling really reflected both aspects.

"That was really amazing, Amu!" I said, clapping.

"Poor kitty, desu~..." Su commented.

Ran was cheering, which was really starting to get annoying. Amu was blushing. She probably thought it was silly to recite poetry. Admitedly, poetry just wasn't something that most others our age enjoyed. Even I didn't like poetry to any great extent, and I normally liked things that others didn't.

"Yeah, it seems like Nikaido thinks I have some sort of cat obsession or something." Amu said. "I can't think why."

"Perhaps you _do _have a cat obsession." I suggested jokingly. "What about Ikuto?"

"Come on!" She said, blushing and giving me a playful shove. "Be serious! I hardly even know him!"

I was about to tease her again, but then she stopped and I realized we had made it to her house. I guess the time had gotten away from me - I didn't think we would be close to her house yet.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Miyuki." Amu said.

"Yep. See you later!" I waved and started walking back the way we had come from. But then I heard another voice from behind me.

"Oh, Amu, who's your friend?" I stopped and turned around to see a lady - whom I presumed to be Amu's mom - stepping out of the door of her house. She had her brown hair pulled up in a casual ponytail, and her similarly-colored eyes were curious behind her round glasses. In all truth, if this really was Amu's mom, than the two looked nothing alike.

Seeing that it would be polite to actually come up and meet Amu's mom, I walked up with Amu to the front door.

"This is Yamada Miyuki-san." Amu said to her mother. "She's a friend of mine from school. Miyuki, this is my mom."

Amu's mom smiled. "Nice to meet you, Miyuki-san."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." I said, feeling awkward. For me, it was always slightly strange to meet a classmate's parent.

"Why don't you come in for a bit, Miyuki-san?" asked Amu's mom. "I've got some cookies from a batch I baked a couple of days ago - they're chocolate chip!"

I saw that Amu was looking a bit on the shy side. I could tell - or at least imagined that I could tell - that she really wasn't used to having friends over at her house. "That's okay. I really need to get home." I said.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "It really wouldn't be any trouble, and I could drive you back to your house if it's a ways a way."

"Well..." I hesitated. I actually did want to talk to Amu a bit more. "Sure. I guess I can stay for a bit."

"Well, you can go with Amu to her room, if you'd like. I'll bring up the cookies and something for both of you to drink." Amu's mom walked back into the house and to the kitchen, where she started getting the snacks ready. I followed Amu in, but she was quickly stopped as a little girl ran up and hugged Amu's legs.

"Big sister! I wanna play with the new chara!" the little girl said, looking first at Azami, then at Amu, and then back again to Azami. I felt Azami tense from where she was on my shoulder. Apparently, she wasn't very fond of this idea.

"Ami! Will you let go of my legs!?" Amu said. Ami let go, looking slightly hurt. Then Amu continued. "This is my little sister, Ami. Ami, why don't you say hi to my friend Miyuki?"

Ami turned to me. "Hi Miyuki!' she said very energetically. Then she turned back to Amu. "Now can I play with the little lizard?" I felt Azami tense again, and I reached up to my shoulder and grabbed her just before she took off. I suppose dragons don't like being called either little or lizards.

Amu saw Azami's reaction as well, and knew better than to give in to Ami's pleading. But she seemed to be having trouble coming up with the words to say no to Ami.

It was Miki's quick thinking that came to the rescue. She and Amu's other charas floated down to Ami. "Try and catch us, Ami-chan!" Ran shouted before the three charas darted in three different directions.

Ami's eyes lit up at the prospect of tag, and she promptly forgot about Azami. "Yay!" she shouted as she began to chase after Ran.

"Will you let me go!?!" Azami asked me as Ami began running away.

"Not yet." I said. "Cool down just a bit more." Azami didn't bother trying to struggle in my firm grip, though I knew she was just waiting for the right moment to make her escape. I made a mental note to never call Azami a little lizard - it apparently annoyed her greatly.

Amu led the way up to her room quickly, and I made sure the door was totally shut before I let go of Azami. Of course, as soon as I did, Azami began to fly around me and whip me with her tail. She scratched me a couple times, too, but each of the cuts was so small that hardly a drop's worth of blood came out, even with her poison.

"Azami, quit!" I said. She persisted for another couple seconds before settling angrily on my head. Then I took a moment to look around. The room was fairly clean, and actually girlier than I had expected. It had a lot of pink mixed in with other pastel colors. Amu went over and sat on her bed, and I took a seat at a desk she had at one side of the room.

I decided to start the conversation. "I like your room."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Amu said. I was definitely sure now that she wasn't used to having other people in her room.

There was a short but awkward pause then. So I tried to get back on to the topic from earlier. "My poem this time is another boring one - at least yours is funny."

"Yeah, I guess I can be grateful for that." Amu said. She still didn't seem perfectly at ease. We had another awkward gap in our talking, as I tried to think what to say next. Thankfully, Amu's mom came in with the cookies and two glasses of milk, breaking the silence. Then she left. It was just me, Azami, and Amu in the room as we started munching on cookies, since Amu's charas were still keeping Ami entertained.

Suddenly, a thought came to me about something I wanted to tell Amu. I knew I probably shouldn't, though. Easter probably wouldn't be too happy if I said what I was thinking. I probably wouldn't have said anything if not for Azami. She sensed my mood somehow and made me chara-change. I felt the familiar strength course through me, as well as a bit of a pulse of dark energy within me. Though Azami and I hadn't verbally said anything, Amu seemed to sense the change in me and look up. She acted curious as she recognized my chara-change. I began talking, getting right to the point of what I had been thinking about.

"Don't you think it's somewhat suspicious that Nikaido keeps on giving you cat poems when you're talking with Ikuto so often?"

"Well... maybe a little. But how would Nikaido know about Ikuto? For that matter, how would he know that I see Ikuto sometimes?" Amu asked.

I had to approach how I answered cautiously. I couldn't just state that I knew he was evil - that would be suspicious in and of itself. Thankfully, my chara-chage's lying abilities now came into play. "Well, I don't know what to think. But it also seems like a lot of the times there have been X-eggs around the school, Nikaido is somewhere around or should have been somewhere close by. Like with that first X-egg I helped out with, or with my friend Mai."

"So wait..." Amu said, thinking. "Are you saying that Nikaido is the cause of the X-eggs? That doesn't seem possible - he's such a klutz, and he's almost always smiling."

"But what if he _is_ evil?" I said. "What if he actually works for Easter? If he works for Easter, then perhaps he would have a good idea about what Ikuto is up to. And he could probably act differently than he actually is."

Then the bulk of my boldness passed as the chara-change left me. It looked like Amu noticed, but she just continued on with the conversation. "I don't know - it just seems so unlikely."

"Maybe you could keep an eye out for him next time you sense and X-egg." I suggested. "I mean, I'll admit, he doesn't act like an evil kind of person during class."

"Yeah. That would be a good idea anyway - just looking out for anyone suspicious whenever there are X-eggs." Amu replied.

Then the door was opened and Ami stepped into the room. "I wanna play with the tiny bat!" She said, looking at Azami. Azami, for her part, seemed even more peeved at that than at being called a 'little lizard.' I barely managed to grab her as she launched herself off of my shoulder. Ami didn't even flinch at the enraged dragon.

"Uh, I think I'd better go, Amu." I said, clutching Azami firmly. Amu's charas, who had floated in after Ami, seemed apologetic that they couldn't keep Ami busy with something else.

"That's probably a good idea." Amu agreed, then led me to the front door (with Ami trailing all the way pouting that Amu was being mean). We said our goodbyes, and I turned in the direction of home. After about a block of walking, I though better of it. As long as I was over here in this neighborhood, I might as well grab some X-eggs. I walked a few blocks away, far enough that I hoped Amu might not sense any X-eggs I might draw out. But, in all reality, there just weren't that many people out walking. I managed to get two eggs from a young couple that had been walking on the opposite side of the road from me, but that was it.

It was probably about six 'o clock or so when I started heading home. I reflected on how I'd been since the X-energy boost of power. I was fairly sure now that Azami and I had the dark energy under control now - we hadn't had any instances when the dark feeling overcame us. There were a couple of times when either Azami or I had felt somewhat dispirited for no reason at all, but each time that happened it was over quickly. It made me feel good to know that we were beating it back.

In fact, I couldn't help but hum a bit as I walked home - that's how good I felt. I had gotten over my guilt; I wasn't having the attacks of depression; and I had even told Amu that Nikaido was bad. Perhaps voicing my 'suspicions' about Nikaido hadn't been a smart idea - especially if Nikaido found out - but it had felt good to just do something that I normally shouldn't (and wouldn't) do. My life was pretty great; I had my power, I was still getting my hundred dollars a week, and I was enjoying myself at school thanks to the guardians and Mai. I couldn't help but think that if life was a mountain, then I was at the very top right now. And though I didn't really think about it, there was a bad side to that as well -

Being at the top meant that I just had a lot farther to fall if I stumbled.

* * *

*I Just wanted to remind people that I have a poll on my profile about how bad/good this story is. I'd appreciate it if you took the time to give me your opinions!*


	20. Truth or Lie? Either Way, It Hurts

As I walked into the classroom - actually making it to school early, for once - I noticed that my desk had a piece of paper lying face-down on top of it. In fact, as I looked around the classroom, I could see that everyone's desk had a piece of paper on it. I wondered what it was. Some other people who were here early were looking at their own sheets, reading them silently for the most part. Azami glided over to my desk as I walked more slowly over. She looked like she was going to look at it herself, but seemed to think better of it; I mean, anyone else in the classroom might be a bit shocked if my paper started moving of its own accord. Not to mention, I wasn't entirely sure if there was any easy way for anything just a couple inches high to flip over a piece of paper.

When I did make it to my desk to flip over the paper, I groaned quietly. I should've known - Nikaido had said that we would be getting our next poem for memorization today. We had just finished the last of the presentations yesterday. Now, on Wednesday, we were just going right back into it. No break for us. Taking advantage of the semi-quiet classroom, I sat down and read through the poem carefully.

Solitude

BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;  
Weep, and you weep alone;  
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,  
But has trouble enough of its own.  
Sing, and the hills will answer;  
Sigh, it is lost on the air;  
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,  
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;  
Grieve, and they turn and go;  
They want full measure of all your pleasure,  
But they do not need your woe.  
Be glad, and your friends are many;  
Be sad, and you lose them all,—  
There are none to decline your nectared wine,  
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;  
Fast, and the world goes by.  
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,  
But no man can help you die.  
There is room in the halls of pleasure  
For a large and lordly train,  
But one by one we must all file on  
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

What a surprise. _Another _gloomy poem. But for now, I sort of disregarded it. I could never be alone. I had Azami. And no matter what happened to me, she would always be there to give me strength. Or, at least, I hoped so.

* * *

I took a deep inhale of breath, filling my senses with the citrus-like smell of my chara-change's smoke. It was a chilly, moist evening tonight, which really is my favorite kind of night. It perhaps would've done me some good to put a coat on over my outfit (or perhaps to at least wear a long skirt instead of the shorts I had on), but I enjoyed the cold a bit too much to bother. I was sitting casually on a bench in the center of a local park, which was turning out to be not the greatest of spots for X-egg hunting. Admittedly, a few of the young couples that were walking through the park tonight had given up there eggs without a fight, but I had kinda been hoping for more.

To be totally truthful, I was getting slightly bored. Trying to get X-eggs every night was getting to be more of a task than an enjoyment. However, no matter how many times I did it, I was still getting the thrill of using my power over others. Somewhat diminished after repeated use at the same boring task, but still there.

With no one in the immediate vicinity to keep me occupied and Azami exploring somewhere (probably nearby, since my chara-change hadn't faded yet), my mind started to wander. And, of course, the first thing it came to was my newest poem for memorization. Perhaps in the morning, when everything was bright and I was still sleepy, I hadn't thought about it much. But now, it was dark out. I could see the city lights reflecting off of some low, heavy clouds - I guessed it might rain tonight, or perhaps snow if it got much colder. As much as I liked the cold and the dark, it still had a somewhat disheartening effect on me. I shivered, but more from where my thoughts were starting to lead than from the cold.

_What if Azami _did _leave me? _I thought as I kept the smoke coming from the short hair in my hand. _What if I'm too pathetic for her? There's probably no way I'll ever be a true dragon. What if she just gives up on me? What's to stop her from leaving? _I opened my mouth call out to her, so I could ask her if she would ever leave, but then stopped myself. Firstly, that would probably sound horribly pathetic of me. Secondly - and most importantly - I was afraid of what she might say. _She _was a true dragon, and I doubted a dragon would stick around with someone like me. It was probably only a matter of time. The smoke that I was creating sputtered and died out, and my character change went away, leaving me feeling even more dejected than before.

Azami sensed the chara-change fade, and was back by my side in a few seconds. "Miyuki-chan?" she asked.

"Hm?" I replied faintly, not even turning to look at her. And I had thought I had been doing so well. But here it was again - I was letting the darkness overcome me. The sad thing was, there was nothing I could do about it.

Seeing my trouble, Azami intensified her efforts at trying to get my attention. "Miyuki! Miyuki, come on! Wake up! If you go under, then you pull me down with you!"

_You see,_ I thought to myself as hopelessness continued to crowd my mind. _I'm just a burden to Azami. If she had any way of severing our connection, she would..._ Azami started beating on my arm with her tail, but I didn't respond. I was too far gone already, and my mind and emotions were slowly shutting down. I brought my knees up onto the bench and drew them up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and hiding my face. I was withdrawing further and further inside of myself, and becoming more and more oblivious to everything around me.

Azami's movements were quickly becoming lethargic and weak, and she soon stopped trying to wake me up all together. The darkness had crossed our link once again and, as Azami had said, once I was down then so was she. Her black egg with the fire pattern on it formed around her, shutting her off from the outside. She did nothing to resist.

Some people walking through the park looked at me pityingly or inquisitively, but no one bothered to help me. For that matter, I hadn't the faintest clue that there was anything in the world besides my misery and myself. Though I couldn't tell, I was like that for over thirty minutes before someone concerned enough finally appeared. The funny thing was, that someone wasn't concerned about me - he went straight to waking up Azami. In fact, that someone wasn't even a human.

"Azami? Why are you sleeping here, nya~?" Yoru asked. From within her egg, Azami did nothing to respond. Yoru, flicking his tail back and forth in annoyance, then proceeded to rock Azami's egg back and forth. A sort of groan emanated from within in response, but other than that, Azami remained silent.

"C'mon!" shouted Yoru, frustrated. "I wanna play, nya~!" Yoru flattened his ears and unsheathed his claws from one of his cat paws, dragging the sharp points along the surface of Azami's egg. The egg was perfectly unharmed, but a noise like nails on a chalkboard filled the air. I stirred only a little bit, but Azami's egg opened in a flash. Being within the egg, she had received an amplified version of the horrid sound. Her eyes went straight to Yoru, who was standing on the bench directly in front of her.

"What in the world was that for!?!" she asked, though she refrained from attacking him just yet.

Yoru, seeing the possibility of danger, backed a little ways off. Then he chuckled at the fact that he had been able to make Azami so angry. "I just wanted to play, nya~! But you were sleeping, so I decided to wake you up, nya~!"

Azami glared at Yoru for a moment, her wrath nearly causing her to chase after the annoying little feline. Instead, she waited a couple seconds and let herself cool down a bit. Yoru, seeing he was out of danger, went back to his original purpose.

"So let's play, nya~!"

Azami thought for a moment, then turned to face me. I was still curled up, oblivious to the world. "Let's wake Miyuki first. Then we can play." Azami hadn't quite forgotten her last encounter with Yoru, but she decided that the fight was in the past now, and not worth mentioning.

"But that sounds boring, nya~!" Yoru whined. "Let's play first, and we can wake her up later."

Azami thought fast, as always. "You know, I think Miyuki might still have some tuna with her. But we'll have to wake her up before she can give you any."

Yoru drooled, and his eyes lit up. "Nya~~! I love fish, nya~!"

"Then let's work on getting her up." Azami said. She was back to normal, despite the fact that I was still deep within the isolation of despair.

"Right, nya~!" Yoru floated over to me. "Hey, wake up!"

"That's not going to work." Azami said as she started to whip me on the arm with her tail. I unconsciously shifted a bit to get her off, but didn't get up from my curled up position.

"That's not working either, nya~." Yoru pointed out. Then Yoru's stomach grumbled. "I want my tuna, nya~!"

Azami looked around for inspiration, which came in the form of an small, empty styrofoam cup caught in a nearby bush. "Come on, Yoru, help me out with this." She flew over and grabbed the cup before flying over (slightly awkwardly, thanks to her cargo) to a water fountain a few feet away.

Yoru followed reluctantly, but stopped short of actually coming close to the water fountain.

"Yoru, I need you to get the water flowing. I'll hold the cup." Azami said.

Yoru shook his head. "Cats and water don't do well together, even if it is just a water fountain, nya~."

Azami was highly annoyed for a moment, but then she calmed herself. "If you don't do it, then you won't get any tuna. Plus, I'll be the only one with a chance of getting water on me."

Yoru hesitated, but his stomach growled and decided the matter for him. Together, they managed to fill up the cup about half way - Azami doubted they could carry much more than that. Azami grabbed the top of the cup, digging in with her claws for a better grip, while Yoru grudgingly helped carry it from the bottom. With a bit of a struggle - the wind had picked up a little, making carrying the water even harder - they managed to maneuver it until they were right above my head.

"On the count of three, we let it go." Azami instructed. "One... two... three!" Yoru dashed a good ten feet away, just to make sure he was completely out of the way of the falling water. Azami just hovered where she had been, watching with a slightly amused look on her face as the cup hit the top of my head. The water drenched my hair, and what run off there was drained down my neck and got the back of my shirt wet. Yoru floated back until he was next to Azami.

A couple seconds passed, in which I didn't do anything. Then, the feeling of the water seemed to break through my inner feelings, and the full effect of the freezingly cold water hit me. I uncurled myself and practically jumped to a standing position, feeling the water running through my hair and down my spine. I looked up and saw both Yoru and Azami laughing uncontrollably. I grabbed both of them by the tails, dangling them upside down.

"Hey! I was just trying to get you up! You should be thanking me!" Azami shouted indignantly.

Yoru squirmed, doing his best to get free. "I just wanted tuna, nya~! It wasn't my idea!"

I let them both go. I mean, they _had _managed to wake me up, and any amount of drenching was worth that.

"So do you have any tuna, nya~?" asked Yoru once I'd let him go.

I shook my head, sending little beads of water flying in the process. "Nope. Sorry."

"Awww!" Yoru whined. "You owe me, nya~! Go buy me some catnip or something, nya~!"

"I've gotta go home and dry off, since _some _charas think its funny to dump water on people's heads." I said. Then, something occurred to me. If Yoru was here, shouldn't Ikuto be somewhere nearby? I still wasn't sure how I would act around him, but I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to do anything in retaliation for the last time we met. "Out of curiosity, where's Ikuto?"

Yoru shrugged. "Beats me. I go wherever I please, nya~." Suddenly, Yoru softly whacked Azami in the face with his tail before he dashed a little bit away and laughed. Azami started flying towards him, but I grabbed her again. I could see where this was going - Yoru was just trying to get Azami to play again.

"I seriously do need to get going." I said. I was starting to involuntarily shiver. Being wet + chilly, moist weather = unhappy me. "No play time tonight."

"But you still owe me some tuna, nya~!" I started walking in the opposite direction, ignoring him. My nose was starting to run now, and I just wanted to get home. I let Azami go, trusting her to follow. Which she did.

"If you get me some catnip, I'll tell you a secret, nya~!" Yoru said.

I kept walking, but my curiosity had been aroused. Inwardly, I was hoping it was an embarrassing secret about Ikuto. It might help to even the playing field if I had some dirt on him. "What kind of secret?" I asked.

"It's something me and Ikuto heard some people from Easter talking about when they didn't know we were there, nya~." To make sure I definitely wanted to hear it, he added, "They were talking about you and Azami, nya~!"

Woah. I stopped walking. Just a minute - why would anyone at Easter be talking about me? There couldn't be more than a couple of people who had any idea who I was. It was probably just something stupid that Yoru was trying to pass off as a juicy secret. But what if it wasn't?

"All right." I said. "If I deem that it's good enough to be called a secret, then I'll buy you some catnip. And if it's _really _good, then I'll get you some tuna in addition to the catnip."

"Tuna and catnip... it's like heaven, nya~..." Yoru said, looking off into the distance as he imagined his little heaven on earth.

"Just spit out the secret already!" Azami said. Of course, she probably wanted to hear it just as much as I did.

"All right, nya~!" Yoru said. "Ikuto and I heard these three people talking about how they would finally be appreciated because of this experiment they had going. They said that this crystal they had should be able to give them control over someone, and that they only needed a chance to use it, nya~. They said it hadn't been needed yet, but once it was, then they would probably get promoted because they'd be able to keep the person in line. I guess they never actually said your name, but Ikuto said that you said that Azami had touched a crystal to get your power, so we guessed it was you, nya~."

I'm sure that whatever color I had in my face drained away. Perhaps I should have guessed it - in fact, it _had _seemed like only logic that Easter would try to control me somehow - but I was nonetheless shocked. I didn't know what to think. I was angry, sad, scared, and skeptical, just to name a few of the feelings that were raging within me.

"A-are you sure you heard right?" I asked, blaming my slight stuttering on the cold.

Yoru was about to answer, but then a voice sounded directly behind me. "Yoru, you wouldn't happen to be telling secrets now, would you?"

All three of us spun around to see Ikuto, standing casually just a couple feet behind us. "Uh... hehe... Of course not, nya~!" Yoru said, flying over to Ikuto.

I was still pretty much speechless from Yoru's news and from Ikuto's sudden arrival. Seeing I wasn't about to say anything, Ikuto moved on to taunts. "Could you simply not wait for the rain to come? Your hair seems a bit on the damp side."

It took me a moment to get what he was talking about, and even then I couldn't get properly angry at him. My mind was too preoccupied. I could only dwell on what Yoru had said.

"Wh-who were the th-three people who were s-saying th-this?" I asked through chattering teeth, in barely more than a whisper. Azami was staying quiet from her position on my shoulder, and I had no idea what she was thinking.

"It looks like the little dragon is a bit cold." Ikuto mocked, referring to me. Smirking, he continued, "Do you want _me _to warm you up a bit?" He stepped forward as if to get close to me, but I stepped back. I hardly payed attention to how he was mock-flirting with me. Perhaps that kinda of thing worked when talking to Amu, and maybe it would have made me flustered under different circumstances. But all I could do was back away in horror, not at him but still at the shock of what Yoru had been saying.

"Wh-who were they?" I asked again.

"I think the cold is freezing your brain." Ikuto said. "Who are you talking about?"

"The p-people from Easter who were talking about m-me." I said. "What d-did they look like?"

Ikuto's eyes turned serious. "Apparently, someone _has _been telling secrets." And yet, I noticed that his look and demeanor hadn't changed all that much from before. Despite his teasing, he had been serious beneath it all the time - almost as if he had been expecting this.

"Just answer the question." Azami said flatly.

"It was those three idiotic scientists Easter employs in its search for the embryo." Ikuto said, his face grim. "They said that they can control you."

"How?" I asked immediately.

"They didn't say." Ikuto said. He seemed genuinely sorry for me. Or, at the very least, he could probably sympathize with my position. If he was working for Easter, then maybe something along the same lines had happened to him.

My mind raced through several thoughts at once, none of them coherent. I looked to the ground and my gaze flicked from one stone to the next, as if in search of an answer. But if there was an answer lying there on the path somewhere, then I couldn't find it. I could see no easy solution to this. I couldn't believe it was true.

"No..." I mumbled, half to myself.

"What'd you say?" Ikuto asked.

"No!" I shouted, jerking my head up to look at him. I clenched my fists as anger bubbled to the surface, pushing back all my other emotions. Mixed with the anger was the darkness that was always present inside me, now fueling my anger and making it greater. "You're lying! That can't be true! If so, why wouldn't Easter have used it against me yet, to keep me in fear? You work for Easter yourself! They probably ordered you to tell me this!"

"And why would they do that?" asked Ikuto defensively. "Do you think I actually do anything they tell me to? And what reason would I have to lie to you about something like this?"

I hardly noticed that Ikuto was acting differently than usual; being this defensive wasn't like him. "I don't care! You're lying! I know it!" Not even bothering to chara-change, I ran forward to tackle Ikuto. My tackle met only air as Ikuto's cat ears and tail appeared and he jumped up onto a nearby tree branch.

I stopped slowly, then turned and looked up to him. The tears that were now falling from my eyes mingled with the first drops of rain that were beginning to fall. Ikuto looked at me stoically from where he was standing in the tree.

"I hate you!" I shouted. "Just leave! Why do you keep on bothering me, anyway! You stupid cat! I never want to see you again!"

Ikuto gazed at me for a moment longer before jumping off through the branches, leaving me alone with Azami. All others had left the park long ago, anticipating the rain. I shivered uncontrollably as the condensation increased to a freezing drizzle. I simply stood there for a while, my mind blank.

"Let's grab your X-egg bag and go home, Miyuki-chan." Azami said. She, too, was getting wet, but she didn't seem to mind too much. I nodded mutely, grabbed my bag, and started to walk slowly home. Azami didn't bother snapping me out of this daze - she knew that it had nothing to do with the X-energy within us, and thought it best to let me be. She endured the cold as I walked, lost in my own thoughts. Every now and then, I would slip and fall due to the icy sidewalk. But each time, I got up without word. The wetness from the rain, the soreness from falling... nothing like that mattered right now.

* * *

Sitting in a gazebo back in the park, Ikuto took shelter from the cold rain. He stared off into the drizzle, apparently lost in thought. Yoru was asleep, curled up on his human's lap.

"I'm sorry..." Ikuto muttered under his breath. Then he shut his own eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

With that last part about Ikuto, did that seem alright? I mean, in the sense that I/Miyuki wasn't actually there, and hence wouldn't know that it's happening... I don't want to confuse by lapsing over from limited first person (where the writer doesn't write about anything she doesn't know about) to omniscient third person (where the author knows everything about the story). Just let me know if it sounds okay or if I should avoid that in the future, since there could be much larger instances where I do something like that in the future.

Once again, I'm requesting that anyone who hasn't taken the poll on my profile yet to please do so. So far, I think I'm seeing that I might need to work on pacing and characterization of characters from the anime/manga. I'll admit, I have sort of been relying on the knowledge from the anime/manga and therefore not bothering to go too in depth into other characters (though I've been attempting to stay as true to their personalitise as possible). I'll try to work on that, but chances are that I won't go too out of the way. I'm just happy to hear what people think of my story. And, of course, while polls are nice, the best way to let me know that is to review!

Also, quick thanks to Orangesz and Hippi the Hedgehog for reviewing, as well as to all my other reviewers who are keeping up with the story [note - don't worry, I try and get out as many chapters as quickly as I can! :) ]. And thanks to everyone who has been favoriting, putting my story on alert, and even just reading my story. Just seeing that 30 people have (so far) actually taken the time to read to chapter 19 is encouraging!

It's Spring Break this week for me, so I'm hoping to get out as many chapters as I can! (however, note that I do have homework to do, I'll probably be taking a trip and will probably not have internet to post, and the trip involves staying with family which means less computer/typing time and more 'family time': bleh.)

*you know, I said I was gonna stop doing these author post-chapter comment things all together... oh well. That's not working out too well for me. O_o*


	21. Fever and Confuzzlement

I woke up shivering the next morning. The beeping of my alarm, which was what had woken me up, was making my head pound. I hadn't even dried off after last night - I guess I'd only been able to stay awake long enough to throw on my pajamas and get in bed. I felt miserable. I was so congested that it seemed that my eyes would pop out of my head because of the pressure, and my face was burning hotter than any time I could remember.

"Miyuki-chan, will you shut off that alarm already?" Azami said as she peeked out from her egg.

In response, I groaned and turned over, pulling my pillow over my head. With all my shivering, I doubted I could even hit the snooze button without knocking off the whole alarm in the process. I was normally an early riser, and so Azami immediately knew something was wrong. She floated out of her egg and quieted the alarm herself before turning to look at the lump in the covers where I was curled up.

"Is this about last night?" Azami asked. "I figured giving you a night's rest before talking about it would help, but this is getting ridiculous. You can't just hide... Wait, why are you shaking?" She managed to burrow through the covers to me. "You're way hotter than usual! You're sick!"

"...thanks for pointing out the obvious." I managed to say in a voice both hoarse and nasally at the same time. She retaliated with a playful punch, but even that was enough to make me let out another groan.

Azami backed out of the covers, and sighed. "Humans are just so _weak. _Anyway, what do people do to get better?"

I mumbled something, but Azami couldn't hear me since I still had my pillow over my head.

"What'd you say?" she asked.

I managed to push the pillow away from me, but the exertion just made me tremble even more. "This feels like that virus that's been going around school, with the high fever. Just made worse because of the rain last night. If so, it should be dying down by the end of today. Until then, just let me rest."

"Fine. I'll just go back to sleep for now, too." Azami replied, not realizing that I had already drifted back into a fitful slumber.

* * *

Azami woke again about an hour later, but quickly saw that I was not even close to waking up. She wandered around the room, looking for something to do. For part of the time, she just stared out the window at the scenery - the weather from yesterday evening had caused a thin sheet of ice to form on everything, and despite being a creature of fire, Azami could appreciate the power that even ice had. A good deal of her time she spent trying to figure out how to play solitaire on my computer, though it was slightly difficult for her to do, since charas really aren't that much taller than the mouse itself.

It was past one 'o clock in the afternoon when Azami started to get concerned. And bored. "Miyuki-chan! Get up already! I know you've at least got to get up to drink something!" I reluctantly opened my eyes from my half-sleep. I was sore all over, but both the shivering and the fever felt like they were better.

"All right, I'm up." I said quietly. "I've gotta go to the bathroom, anyway." I shivered more intensely as soon as I pulled the covers off. I wanted to just go back to sleep, but I really did need to go to the bathroom. I tenderly walked across the hallway to the bathroom, and after I was done there I headed down the stairs to find my mom. She was trying to clean up the living room a bit when I located her.

"Mom." I managed to croak out.

She looked up, though didn't seem all too shocked by me. "Why aren't you at school?" she asked without concern.

_Well, I guess there are some disadvantages to this hypnotized lack of care. She didn't even realize that I didn't go to school. _"I'm sick." I said as my body shivered. Was the house always this cold? "Do you think you could get me a glass of water?"

"Oh." she said, as if trying to take in what I was saying. "Sure." She went off to the kitchen and handed me the cup. I nearly dropped it at first, but managed to keep a hold on it. The fact that I probably needed to eat something flitted through my brain, but the thought of food only made me feel nauseous. I laboriously climbed back up the stairs, which made me light-headed. I practically fell onto my bed as soon as I had set my cup on the table. I curled back under my covers, then poked out my head again. I doubted I would be able to get back to sleep just yet. Since I hadn't turned on my light yet, the only way I could see was from the gray light shining through me window. I craned my neck slightly to see that everything outside was glistening beneath a layer of ice. It wasn't something I saw often in Japan, and I only wished I was well enough to enjoy the sight.

"I suppose this is what I get for staying out in rain when it's that cold outside." I said. My throat was slightly less hoarse after having a couple sips of water, but the nasal sound that came from being so conjested remained. "Why in the world didn't I get home sooner?"

"Well, I doubt you could have just left Ikuto and Yoru, could you?" Azami said. "Anyway, what are we going to do about what they were saying? I let you handle it yourself last night - you were doing pretty well, actually. A dragon doesn't hold back her anger, although a dragon also wouldn't cry about it either. But over all, you actually did well."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I couldn't figure out what she was talking about. Since when did we see Ikuto and Yoru? Hadn't I just been searching for X-eggs, and not realized the rain was coming? I sat up a bit straighter, propping myself up with my pillow behind my back."Well, thanks, I guess. But what are you talking about? I haven't seen either Ikuto or Yoru for weeks."

Azami scowled, and crossed her arms as she floated down to my lap. "Quit messing around. Whatever you're sick with couldn't have given you amnesia."

"No, _you_ quit messing around." I said. "I'm already not feeling great, and I'd rather not have to deal with you confusing me."

"I'm not messing around! I'm telling the truth!" Azami said, angry. "Does it look like I'm lying?"

"Does it look like _I _am lying?" I retorted. I was seriously confused at this point, and it was making me feel dizzy again.

Azami kept her arms crossed and floated up until she was eye-level with me. She simply stared at me for a few moments, as if hidden somewhere on my face was the real truth. I kept my face as serious as possible - _I _knew I was telling the truth, and that was good enough for me. There was no way I could have possibly met up with Yoru and Ikuto without remembering it.

"You're telling the truth..." Said Azami, in awe. "Or, at least, you think you are."

"Well, there you go." I said, before lying back down. All this excitement - even if it was just talking - was not making me feel my best. I had started trembling badly again, and it felt like my temperature had gone back up. "So why don't you just admit that you're trying to confuse me?"

She looked at me, with just a tad bit of annoyance on her face. "I know you can't tell if I'm lying - I would be a disgrace to dragon-kind if you could - but at least think about it. Why would I lie about this? I do get my kicks from pranking or hurting others, but why would I do something like this to someone I'm a part of?"

I thought about it, as Azami had suggested. And though it seemed impossible that she would remember something I didn't, I believed her. "All right, for the purpose of trying to figure out what's going on, I believe that you truly believe what you're saying. So how do we figure out who's right? Are you sure you just didn't have a dream?"

"I'm positive, Miyuki." Azami replied, landing on the bed near where my head was. "I can remember every hair on Yoru's head, every little thing he did -"

"Oooh, someone's got a crush on a certain cat~." I said tauntingly.

"- and everything Ikuto did, as well." finished Azami, looking slightly peeved at my interruption. "Can you say the same about last night?"

"Hmmm..." I contemplated. "I remember going to the park clearly, and getting some X-eggs. I think... I think I remember the dark feeling again... But the cold rain woke both of us up, and we hurried home."

"More detail, Miyuki." Azami said. "Do you remember how many times you fell on the slippery sidewalk, and how many times you said nothing as you got back up? Do you remember the feelings of rage and helplessness when we heard what Yoru's secret was? Do you remember when the first drops of rain fell on your face?"

With that last one, a vivid image filled my mind: Ikuto, standing in a tree, looking down at me with his sad, dark blue eyes. And the wetness on my cheeks from not only the icy rain, but the warm, salty tears as well. Emotions - both my own and the negative X-energy ones - stabbed through me, and I jerked the covers back over my head and curled off, feeling worse than ever. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Now do you believe me?" Azami asked from outside the covers. I didn't respond.

Azami asked again, louder. "Do you believe me or not, Miyuki-chan?"

"Yes..." I groaned. "Just leave me alone."

"No. No matter how bad you're feeling, we've got to talk about this now." Azami said. "We need to figure out why you forgot. Things like this don't just happen by chance. Maybe if I told you what happened last night, then you could remember it better."

"No!" I shouted as loud as I could from beneath the covers. "I don't want to know what happened!" There were simply too many bad feelings that were associated with the memory. Fear being primary among them. It overruled any curiosity I may have had.

Azami paused for a moment to think. Then, as if some sort of nameless energy was building within her, she tensed and her face went absolutely red with fury. She opened her wings and made herself as big as possible. And even though she was still pretty small, she gave off a threatening feeling as if she was an angry dragon hundreds of times her size.

"You've made yourself forget it! You're afraid and the best way you can think to deal with it is by not thinking about it at all! Get those covers off your head and listen to me!" I cautiously poked my head out of the covers. I could feel how furious she was, and I didn't want to anger her any more by not doing what she said. She continued. "Just because a dragon lives in the present doesn't mean she can forget the past, or hide from her future! A dragon does not simply 'deal' with her problems; she confronts them and tears them limb from limb! Forgetting unpleasant facts or memories is the highest form of cowardice there is! Do you understand?!?"

The way she said it, I felt ashamed. I mean, I hadn't really meant to forget it - I don't think it's even possible to consciously forget something. But Azami was right. Even though I still didn't know what had happened last night, I knew I had to face it. Hiding never gets anyone anywhere. Whatever had happened last night must have been... unpleasant, to say the least, but if I wanted to do something about it, then I had to think about it.

"I understand." I said.

Azami seemed to calm down, seeing that I meant what I said. "So are you ready to hear what it was you wanted to forget?"

"Yeah."

Azami folded her wings back up. "Yoru and Ikuto so kindly let us know that Easter has a way to control us somehow, through the crystal I touched."

My reaction was much like the first time - I was shocked. I more or less went completely still, and even my trembling went away momentarily. And then, as if that single fact had been the dam holding back a lake, the memories of last night came flooding back to me: Yoru and Azami dropping water on my head, Yoru offering a secret in exchange for catnip, Ikuto and how dead serious he had been underneath his mocking comments. Oh, and my reaction to all this - so much for getting off on a better foot with Ikuto. I curled up tighter, trying to control the painful feelings.

"Are you sure they're telling the truth?" I asked, my voice as nasaly as ever.

"Actually, I'm not sure." Azami said. "I can tell with most people - and charas, for that matter - but cats are a different story. But I think if Ikuto had been lying, he would have been a bit more subtle about it. Then again, he was acting strangely... But I'm fairly sure he was telling the truth. Plus, what he was saying makes a lot of sense."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." I paused a moment and coughed loudly. It sounded horrible thanks to my congestion, but I went on after the coughing was done. "So what are we going to do?"

"We could, of course, just wait until it happens. There is the chance that either Ikuto misheard or he actually was lying. Or we could infiltrate Easter and try and find the crystal. But Easter is massive, and I doubt they'd just leave it lying out somewhere. Plus, you're not the sneakiest of people."

"What if we asked Ikuto to help?" I suggested. "It seems like he knows his way around Easter."

"No. A dragon doesn't ask anyone for help, or at least not like that. Perhaps it would be different if you were asking the help of the Guardians, but not Ikuto. It reveals weakness. A dragon could manipulate someone to do her work for her, but I don't quite think that would work with Ikuto." Azami said.

"I guess you're right. Again. So do we just wait and see what happens?"

Azami nodded. "We'll wait, but now that we know what they might try and do, we'll be ready if they try to pull anything on us. Who knows? If they invite us back for another power-up, we could just grab it then. Three scientists aren't exactly the largest security force in the world."

I let that be the end of the conversation. I still felt miserably weak, and I just wanted to go back to bed. I took a quick sip of water. I thought about getting something to eat, but I really wasn't all that hungry. I was about to curl up and go back to sleep, but Azami started talking again.

"Is there anything else you've made yourself forget? From before I was born? If it's happening now, I doubt this was the first time."

"Well, if there is something else, I wouldn't exactly recall it, would I?" I replied before going back to sleep. But I wasn't telling the full truth. I knew there was something I was hiding from myself, something even bigger than the possibility of Easter controlling me. Perhaps if I had racked my brains I would have been able to start remembering. But I didn't. Whatever the memory, it was a thousand times more ominous than Easter ever could be. And I had the feeling that I had hidden it so well that even if I searched for the answer, it would never be found without something to prompt it.

The last thing I thought as I fell back asleep was that I never wanted to remember it, whatever it was. Never.

* * *

I woke up again at about three thirty to the sound of my cell phone ringing. I was afraid that it would be Easter calling for something - I really didn't want to have to deal with them while I was sick - but something seemed wrong for that to be an accurate guess. As I reached over to pick me up, it occurred to me that this was my ring tone for an actual call: not a text. And Easter had so far used only texting when contacting me. The only other people that had my cell phone number were the Guardians. I reached over to my bedside table and grabbed my phone, and Azami hovered curiously next to my ear. I looked at the caller i.d. briefly to see that it was Amu's number.

"Hello?" I asked, trying not to sound too sick (at which I failed miserably).

"Hey, Miyuki!" Kukai's voice rang out loud and clear. (note - he hasn't used honorifics with me for a while. He's just not a formal kind of guy.) "You all right? You sound like a frog jumped down your throat, and it brought its lily pad with it!"

Though it wasn't that great of a joke in my opinion, it made me laugh. "We were wondering where you've been all day, Miyuki-san." Nadeshiko said. I guessed they were on speakerphone or something, so that all of them could talk.

"Yeah, Nikaido said you didn't call in sick, so we were wondering if you were all right, or if something had happened." Amu explained.

If I was the sentimental type, I probably would have cried at that. Though I wasn't quite at the point of tears, I'll admit that I was once again touched by how much the Guardians cared. Although it doesn't take that much to pick up a phone and call someone, it was nice to know that they had been thinking of me. A pang of guilt went through me that I was lying to all of them, but I ignored it. "Yeah, sorry to make you worry. I guess my mom must have forgotten to call in to the school. I've got whatever it is that's been going around school."

"Are you feeling all right now, Yamada-san?" asked Tadase. "We didn't mean to disturb you if you were resting."

"Oh, no, Tadase-kun. Don't worry about it. I'm glad you guys called. I'm feeling much better than I was earlier." And that was the truth - I wasn't shaking any more, and it felt like my fever had gone down somewhat.

"Yaya thinks you should eat some ice cream! You'll feel better in no time!" Yaya said.

"Yaya, you're answer for everything is either cookies or ice cream!" Kukai said, laughing.

"That's because cookies and ice cream are yummy!" Yaya answered.

"Hey, hey, is Azami feeling OK?" I heard Ran's voice pipe up.

Azami floated closer to the phone. "I'm feeling perfectly fine." She said.

"I'm glad, desu~." Su said. "Is Miyuki-chan getting enough rest?"

"All she's done is sleep all day!" Azami said, obviously somewhat frustrated. I doubted it was much fun for her to wait around all day while I was sick. If I was feeling well enough tomorrow, I'd probably just tell her that she could leave and hang out with all the other charas at school.

"Aww, lucky! Yaya wishes that she could just stay home and sleep all day!" Yaya said.

"Do you think you'll be back tomorrow, Miyuki?" Amu asked.

I thought about it. "Maybe, but I doubt it. I don't want you guys getting sick, too. Especially not over the weekend."

We talked for a bit more after that, but soon hung up. It made me laugh how, though I was actually talking with five people (not to mention their charas), the conversation flowed so smoothly that it was as if I was just talking to just one. It emphasized just how close the whole group was. It made me feel sort of left out. Then again, it's not like they had only been talking with each other - I had just had a perfectly good conversation with them. And over the phone, no less. I usually had trouble talking comfortably over the phone, without actually being able to see who I was talking to. I doubted I would ever be quite as comfortable in the Guardians as those five were with each other. But they were still my closest friends, due to the fact that we all shared our mutual secret - our guardian characters. Even Mai, who was my best friend outside of the Guardians, couldn't quite compare because of that.

The talking had left me fatigued again, so I went back to sleep. But this time, I fell asleep with something bordering a smile on my face.

* * *

Thanks to Spring Break, I've already got another chapter out! Yay! Anyway, I just want to get you guys thinking about something. The thing is, we are nearing what I consider to be the first mini-climax of my story. It's not one of my major climaxes for the story (still exciting, though!), but it still marks a sort-of breaking point for the first part of the story. I won't say how many chapters it will take to get to this point, but it is slowly approaching. Knowing how long the story is now, and knowing that it will get longer as I add more chapters before this climax, I want you guys/girls to think about how I should continue the story. Should I just continue putting chapters under this? Or perhaps create a new story, labeling it as "A Possibility of Evil: Part 2" or something like that (hopefully with a better name than just 'part 2'). Also, I know that the story will have _at least_ three parts to it, and perhaps four (I don't think it will go past four, though). So I just wanted everyone who reads this to start thinking about how they would like it. I'll be making a poll later. (as I've said before, this story is going to be epic in length)

Although, do note that it is all part of the same story. Even if I decide to separate it out, part two won't be like a sequel to this. It would simply be a continuation.

Thanks for reading, as always! In all truth, I'm more hyped about this story than I am excited about the anime!


	22. The Strength of Music

It was Saturday, about a week after I'd gotten sick. Since just accepting it, I'd been getting along fairly well with the possibility of Easter controlling me. If it happened, it happened. I'd deal with it once it was actually a problem. (Azami's dragon philosophies about living in the present were really starting to rub off on me) But this week had been dragging on for ages - and not just because of two days of make-up homework. Rather, I actually had something to look forward to this weekend. Well, tonight, to be more precise.

I was going to an Utau concert with Mai.

She'd invited me earlier this week, and since then, I've been hyped. Firstly, I would get to hang out with Mai. I mean, while it was nice to hang out with the Guardians, it meant having to deal with a chara interrupting the conversation every few minutes. Secondly, I was extremely curious about Utau. I mean, someone who has two charas and works for Easter was bound to be interesting. I was also planning on hanging around for a bit and doing some X-egg harvesting as people left the concert, which would be a nice change of pace from my usual haunts. And finally, I just really like Utau's music. _Meikyu Butterfly_ was one of my favorite songs, and it would almost certainly either open or close the concert tonight.

I took a look at the time – 4:37. Mai and I were meeting at a nearby children's playground at six, and then walking to the concert from there. I decided to take the time to go ahead and pick out an outfit. I pulled out a few items of clothing from my closet (and by 'a few', I mean my entire wardrobe) and laid them on my bed. It took me almost an hour to pick out my outfit. I really wanted to look good, mainly because… well, I just wanted to look good. I would say that there are very few people who don't want to look good when going out in public. But also, I wanted to look nice in case I ended up running into Utau. Which I thought was at least a possibility, since both of us had charas.

In the end, after much deliberation, I was satisfied with the outfit I came up with. I picked out a short black skirt with streaks of bright green, which matched my tight fitting, short-sleeved black shirt with a emerald-colored snake crawling over it (Azami wanted me to wear this shirt; one guess as to why). I put on a white half length jacket over that, and white and black striped long socks for a bit of warmth. To wrap it up, I wore a pair of bright green, leather-like sandals.

I was just picking out a large, green and blue flower clip for my hair (not like I had long enough hair that it would be useful – I just thought it looked nice) when my cell phone rang. Yet again, this wasn't the text tone; my guess was that it was one of the Guardians again. I picked up and, sure enough, it was Yaya.

"Hey! Is that you, Miyuki-chi?" Yaya practically yelled. I had to hold the phone away from my face

"Yeah. What's up?" Azami was on top of my head, and she could hear everything Yaya said.

"Yaya got last minute tickets for you and Yaya and the rest of the Guardians to listen to Utau tonight! Do you want to come?"

I was both disappointed and excited at the same time. On one hand, I had wanted this to be a thing for just Mai and me. On the other hand, both Azami and I did enjoy hanging out with the Guardians. "Well, actually, I'm going with another friend of mine. You can give it to someone else. Sorry I won't be the one to use it."

"That's okay!" Yaya said. "You'll be there, so it doesn't matter what ticket you're using! Yaya will find someone to give the ticket to!"

"All right, I guess I'll see you there then." I said.

"Yup! See you then, Miyuki-chi!" and then she hung up. I sighed. Yaya was cute, but her hyperness was tiring sometimes. I took another glance at the time. It was 5:45. Wait – 5:45!?! It took me at least twenty minutes to walk to the park we were meeting at! I was already in my outfit, so I grabbed my regular purse and hurried out of the house, Azami flying close behind. I decided to leave my X-egg purse at home – if the Guardians were going to be there, I didn't want to risk them catching me in the act.

Walking quickly, it took me a bit under twenty minutes to make it to the playground. I didn't have a watch, so there was no way I could tell how late I might be. It was a rather small playground, and I quickly saw her waiting on one of the swings. Looking at her just sitting there, I realized I'd never really noticed how pretty she was. I mean, she had a sort of simplicity about her that just worked perfectly with her shy attitude. She kept her brown, shoulder-length hair free from any clips or hair ties, which only accentuated its natural waviness. She was wearing a long, blue skirt and a loose, long sleeve, blue and white shirt. It seemed sort of old-fashioned, but it looked great on her.

"Sorry I'm late!" I called out as soon as she saw me. "I got a bit too occupied with choosing my outfit."

"It looks nice." Mai said. As always, she talked quietly. However, I'd noticed she was a lot more comfortable around me than the rest of the class. And that's what made her a better friend than the Guardians, in a way. I mean, since we all had charas, it felt like we more or less had to be friends. But with Mai, it was different. Not only were we friends because we wanted to be, but I knew that to her I was her _best_ friend. And I think she realized that I was a friend with her in a way that I could never be with the Guardians.

"So what have you been up? You've been acting strangely lately." I asked as we started walking. It would take a while to actually get to the site of the concert.

Mai blushed a little bit, and looked down. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." I said, smiling. "Whenever I've come up to you during class this past week or so, you always hurriedly put away whatever you were doing. And you seem to be a lot more distracted while Nikaido is teaching."

"It's nothing." Mai said, still looking a bit embarrassed.

"I think it's definitely something." I replied. "What could you be writing that you have to put away whenever I come by?"

"Well…" Mai started. It occurred to me that she might _really_ not want me to know about whatever it was she was doing.

"You know, if you don't want to tell me, I don't want to pressure you." I said quickly.

"It's not that I don't want you to know." Mai said, acting shyer than usual. "It's just that… I'm not finished yet. As soon as it's done, you'll be the first to see it."

Azami spoke up, though of course Mai couldn't hear her. "I wonder what this 'it' is?" I ignored Azami, though I'll admit that I was dying to know what Mai was talking about.

I went ahead and changed the subject, both for Mai's comfort and to try to distract my curiosity. "Actually, part of the reason I was late was because Yaya called right before I left. She got tickets, so I guess the rest of the Guardians will be at the concert tonight.

"Oh." She said, looking slightly downcast. "I guess you'll probably want to hang out with them."

"Maybe." I said. "Do you not want to? Of course, we could all hang out together."

"No, it's fine." Mai said, though I could tell that it definitely was _not_ fine. I thought about it for a moment, and realized that it would be extremely awkward for everyone involved for me to be with both the Guardians and Mai at the same time. Mai would feel left out since she isn't a Guardian, and the rest of them would have to try and enjoy themselves with someone they hardly knew.

"You know, if we can find them before or after I might say hi, but I see enough of them at school." I said. I felt bad that I hadn't thought of the consequences earlier, before I told Mai that they were coming.

"No, really, it's okay." Mai said. Then, as an after thought, she added, "You're acting like you don't even want to see them."

"Well, think of it this way." I replied. "I talk to them every day. I see enough of them as it is. And one more thing - can you keep secret?"

"Uh… yeah." Mai said, unsure of what she was agreeing to hear.

"Okay, the secret is…" I leaned in closer and lowered my voice, as if afraid of being overheard. "The guardians can really act like a bunch of goofballs half the time."

I don't know if it was something in the way I said it, or if it was just the idea of the perfect Guardians being goofballs, but Mai absolutely burst out laughing. And, of course, that made me crack up as well. It was so odd to see Mai laughing like this – she was always so shy.

As we both tried to catch our breath, Mai commented, "You know, you're a Guardian, too."

"Of course I'm a guardian. Is there something…" I finally got the joke. "Hey! Are you trying to imply that I'm a goofball, too!?!"

"Oh, no, of course not." Mai said sarcastically. Sarcasm was another thing she normally wasn't associated with. Then we both cracked up again.

"You know, she's right. You're the biggest goofball out of all of them!" Azami said. Still laughing, I tried to grab her without Mai noticing anything odd, but Azami just dodged out of the way, laughing at how I couldn't do anything to reply that didn't make me look stupid in front of Mai.

We enjoyed the rest of our walk there. Despite the fact that it took over an hour to get there, we had decided against having her mom drive us. With me being with the Guardians at lunch and after school, we didn't get a ton of time at school to talk. It was really nice. Shugo charas are great, but another thing about them was that you never feel like you can have a truly personal talk when are multiple hyperactive fairy-like creatures hovering right by your face. I didn't mind having just Azami around, and she entertained herself enough by flying around so that she wasn't interrupting our conversation too much.

* * *

Despite the long walk, the concert didn't start until eight o' clock, meaning we would have made it there about an hour early. But that was how we had planned it. We stopped in at a locally owned restaurant, where we both ordered a small dinner – we were trying to save our hunger (and our money) for snacks at the concert. I was glad that Mai's mother didn't mind letting her take care of herself. Most parents of fifth graders weren't nearly as lenient.

The concert was going to be held in the largest park in the city, which had a fairly nice stage as well as an enormous open area to accommodate for crowds. It was used for all sorts of things; everything from magic acts to citywide talent shows was held here. Though I guessed that this would be the largest event it had been used for in a while. A temporary metal fence had been set up around the perimeter so that no one without tickets could get in, and police officers helped to keep everyone in line (both literally and figuratively). It looked like there were already about a hundred people here, and more kept on coming by the minute.

"Come on! Let's hurry and try and get close to the stage!" I said excitedly, grabbing her arm and pulling her to get in line. All of the commotion seemed to energize me, though it kind of overwhelmed Mai.

We gave our tickets to the man who was letting everyone in, then squeezed through the crowd. We managed to get really close to the front, though we were way off to one side of the crowd. Still, the view wasn't too bad. We were close enough that we could clearly see the supporting musicians setting up all their instruments. We did keep our eyes peeled for the Guardians, but neither of us could see them through the mass of bodies. It surprised me that most of the people here weren't that old – it was mostly teens, but there were also a lot of kids that looked like they couldn't be too much older than myself.

Azami flew above the crowd for a while, looking to see if she could find the Guardians. I didn't know whether she had found them or not, though. She came back right as the concert was beginning to start and I couldn't hear what she said, since we were standing right next to one of the speakers.

Fog rolled along the floor of the stage as Utau walked out, and the crowd cheered. Multicolor lights were swaying back and forth, illuminating the stage and creating a cool effect in cooperation with the fog. I couldn't help myself – I yelled just as loudly as everyone else. Mai was still in awe of everything around her, but she managed to clap as loudly as she could.

As I had guessed, the familiar first notes of _Meikyu Butterfly _were the first to blare out of the speakers. Listening to it live, I gained a new appreciation for it. Though my ears were being completely blasted to bits, the driving beat and lyrics of the song yet again enthralled me. And the intensity that I saw in Utau's eyes was a strength like I had never seen before. It was different than the power that Azami had. Neither Azami nor I got our power from the kind of motivation that I could feel emanating Utau.

And even more amazing than all this was how the music was affecting the X-energy inside me. Before even the first verse was finished, the energy within me seemed to be humming and vibrating, as if just waiting for the opportunity to flood out. And yet, it wasn't making me any more sad or gloomy. It seemed only to heighten my mood, making me increasingly loud and excited. I really wanted to chara-change, for some reason or another.

Then, as Utau reached the climax of the refrain for the final time before the end of the song, something happened. I suddenly noticed that small, black wings had appeared coming from her shoulders, and the song seemed to take on yet another tone. I wondered what was happening for a moment, but suddenly Azami was pulling on my hair with all her might.

"What is it!?" I yelled over the crowd. Mai was too enthralled with the song to pay attention to what I was doing.

Azami yelled something, but I couldn't hear. "What!?!" I asked.

She floated right next to my ear and shouted, as loudly as she could. "X-eggs!" She pointed, and I looked up. There, hovering above the crowd, I could see five X-eggs. Azami started pulling on my jacket to get me moving, but I didn't go anywhere.

"I want to, but I can't just leave Mai!" I shouted, gesturing towards my friend in case Azami didn't hear me. "Go and try to find the Guardians, and keep an eye on what happens! I don't have my bag for X-eggs, anyway!"

I wasn't entirely sure if Azami caught everything I said, but she seemed to get the idea. She flew off, and I watched her for as long as I could before she disappeared into the darkness.

"Miyuki! What are you looking at!?!" Mai shouted, trying to be heard over the noise of the crowd and the music.

"Nothing!" I replied, turning back to the stage. I wanted to go even more now – the X-egg energy inside me was starting to affect my thoughts. I felt like I had to go do something, instead of just standing here shouting. I knew now why I felt like I needed to chara-change – I had the urge to create as many X-eggs as possible. I wanted to change so that I could use my power, and show others what strength I had over them. But I couldn't. I managed to keep control of myself, and all I could do was wait.

It didn't take long for Azami to find the Guardians. For one, she had indeed found them earlier, before the concert started. Not to mention, they were the only ones present trying to get away from the concert. She thought about going down to them and letting them know she was there – at the moment, she was tailing them from about twenty feet up – but she decided against it. This would be more fun to watch, since Miyuki wasn't here to help out. Not to mention, the music was affecting Azami as well – she knew it would influence her if she got too involved, and if there was one thing a dragon didn't like, it was being controlled by anything.

They made their way out of the ticket gate and past the hoards of fans that didn't have tickets and were trying to get a glimpse of their idol. The eggs (Azami counted six of them) had grouped together, and were flying erratically through the park. They would fly one way, then turn and fly another way, then go back the way they had originally been going. Azami flew down a bit closer, and saw that the Guardians had character changed and Amu had already character transformed. As always, she had done her chara nari with Ran. Azami half stuck out her tongue at this. If only she could get five minutes in a locked room with that peppy little cheerleader… we'd see how much she could cheer after that.

Suddenly, the eggs split up into two groups of three. Azami laughed as Amu looked around, trying to decide which way to go. She heard Tadase give the orders – they were all going to split up, and try and drive the eggs back to the small clearing that they were in now for Amu to purify. Kukai, Yaya, and Nadeshiko went after the eggs that went to the left, while Tadase went with Amu after the ones that had kept on going straight.

_This could get interesting. But what on earth made Tadase decide to go with Amu? _Azami thought with a grin. She flew up higher to try to keep an eye on everyone, but she made sure that she didn't lose sight of Amu and Tadase. Azami's sharp eye caught every movement below her, despite her height and the darkness. Which is why she was surprised when she saw motion coming from some trees where she was sure no one had been a second ago. It moved too fast for her to get a good glimpse of it from this far away, but she could tell that it was moving closer and closer to Amu.

_It's not an X-egg, is it? No, it's way too big. But who… ah. _As she got closer to both Amu and the unidentified motion, she caught sight of a glint of metal, as well as a couple of ears and a tail. _So Ikuto is here too, huh? But why chara-nari?_

Ikuto made it to the clearing right as Amu did. Tadase was lagging behind, unable to keep up with the speed of Amulet Heart. The three eggs were confused by the entrance of a new person, and weren't entirely sure what to do. The hovered in the center of the clearing, unsure of where to go in case someone else popped out of the trees. Azami circled down lower, hiding herself in the branches of one of the surrounding trees. This was probably one of the few times in her life that she appreciated being small – it made it a lot easier to hide.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Amu." Said Ikuto, smirking. "What could you be doing here?"

Amu sputtered out her response. "Well- I, uh… we were at the concert, and-"

"Holy Crown!" Tadase's attack interrupted Amu as a golden light shot past her, straight towards Ikuto. With his cat-like reflexes, he easily jumped out of the way of the attack.

"Oh? I guess that the kiddy king and Amu are taking a moonlit stroll through the park. I didn't know you two were going steady." Ikuto taunted. Azami would have sworn that Amu actually glowed red from this comment, but perhaps her blush was just exaggerated by the pink in her outfit.

Azami also saw the slightest hint of a blush on Tadase, but he seemed too intent on Ikuto to get to worked up by it. "Holy Crown!" he shouted again, but Ikuto dodged this one even more easily than the first.

"Useless!" The trio of eggs started flying away from the battling people.

"Hinamori-san! You go purify the eggs – I'll hold off this cat!" Tadase said.

Amu nodded, managing to get a hold of herself. She ran after the eggs. Ikuto made as if to chase after the eggs himself, but another Holy Crown from Tadase cut him off.

"Does the kiddy-king want to play?" taunted Ikuto. Azami flew up higher to try and keep an eye Amu, as well as hear the conversation between Ikuto and Tadase.

"Give me back the Dumpty Key, Tsukiyomi Ikuto!" Tadase said, with Kiseki at his shoulder looking just as angry. "You know it belongs to me!"

This was news to Azami – hadn't Tadase said that the Dumpty Key had just been kept by the Guardians? Had he been hiding something?

"Maybe if you ask really nicely and call me 'onii-chan' like you used to, I'll consider it." Ikuto taunted. Whoa – back up again. Since when had Tadase called Ikuto onii-chan? They couldn't possibly be brothers. For Azami, this was simply getting more and more intriguing by the minute.

Tadase fired off another blast of light (which Ikuto dodged – surprise, surprise), and was about to say something back. But a bright flash came from somewhere nearby, and Azami saw that Amu had just managed to purify the three eggs she had been following.

"Well, it looks as if I'm not wanted here." Said Ikuto with a smirk. "See you later, kiddy-king." Ikuto turned and jumped off into the trees.

"I'm not letting you get away!" Tadase said as he rushed forward. He stopped as he reached the edge of the clearing – Ikuto was already long gone.

Amu arrived back in the clearing in another couple of seconds. "Where'd Ikuto go?" she asked.

"He fled, like the thieving cat that he is." Tadase replied.

"Come on, Amu, we need to find the other X-eggs!" Miki said urgently.

The duo and their charas went back the way they came, but Azami could see that the rest of the Guardians had so far been unable to corral the remaining X-eggs back to their designated meeting place. Azami was really annoyed at simply watching by this point (and she had noticed that the X-egg energy had died down in her somewhat), so she decided to help out. Though she thought it was rather stupid that none of their own charas were flying up above the trees themselves. I guess they were confident enough in the abilities of Nadeshiko, Yaya, and Kukai to trust them to make it back to where they were supposed to be.

"Hey, you're going the wrong way!" Azami said as she swooped down to their level.

Amu and Tadase kept on running, but seemed shocked by the dragon chara's appearance. "Azami? What are you doing here?" Amu said. "And where's Miyuki! We could've used her help!"

"Miyuki had to stay with her friend at the concert." Azami explained. "But you guys are going to wrong way! The others haven't been able to get the X-eggs under control yet."

"Which way are they?" Tadase asked.

"Follow me." Azami said, changing her direction more to the right.

* * *

I was starting to get slightly worried when Azami wasn't back by the end of the concert. But even though Azami was gone, I had a great time. Though we really couldn't talk at all over the noise, just being with Mai was great. And it was so fun to see the normally shy girl actually have some good, loud fun for once. The songs were great, though none worked up the X-energy as much as _Meikyu Butterfly_, nor did any of the other songs draw out more X-eggs.

"That was fun." Said Mai as we left. Most of the crowd had already dispersed, heading home after the exciting night. Mai seemed like she was more or less back to normal, but if I looked really closely I could see her hands shaking slightly – probably from being in relative quiet after standing right next to the speakers for so long. I wasn't entirely sure if I wasn't shaking, myself. This had been my first time at big event like this, and it had been fairly intense.

"Yeah, that was great!" I said as we made our way to the opposite side of the park. That was where Mai's mom was going to pick her up. I'd told Mai that my mom would pick me up, so that they could leave without me. I had been planning on flying back to my house. "But too bad we didn't see the Guardians. I wanted to introduce you to Kukai."

Mai blushed. She and I both knew that she had a bit of a crush on Kukai. "Then it's probably better that we didn't see them."

When we reached her car, we said our good-byes. "I'll see you on Monday, Miyuki."

"Yeah. Just wait until the rest of the class hears that we actually got to go see Utau!" I said. Mai blushed – she definitely didn't want all that attention, but she knew I was just joking. I wasn't going to tell anyone if she didn't want the class to know. As soon as the car drove off, Azami showed up.

"Where have you been?" I asked. "Surely it doesn't take that long for the Guardians to round up a few X-eggs."

"They had a bit of trouble." Azami said. "And I didn't get back until the last song, so I just waited until Mai was gone. Come this way – the Guardians want to say hi, as long as you all are here."

Azami led the way back towards the center of the park. Here, there was a large fountain, and surrounding it at a distance were a few benches. On one of these benches, the Guardians were waiting.

"Miyuki-chi! Why didn't you come help?" Yaya said, rushing over as soon as she saw me.

"Sorry about that." I said apologetically. "But I was with my friend, and I didn't want to leave her by herself. But anyway, what all happened?"

Switching from person to person, what I'd missed was revealed – they had chased after the eggs, and had to split up. Amu and Tadase ran into Ikuto, and it sounded like Yaya ended up having a chara-changed fit while Nadeshiko and Kukai tried to keep their three eggs in line. But they'd still managed to keep the X-eggs together until Azami led Amu there to purify them. And by the time they finished, it hadn't been worth it to come back to the concert.

"Wow. Sounds like you guys had an exciting night! I wish I could've helped out." I said. I did have fun helping the Guardians catch X-eggs, whenever the opportunity arose. Which was somewhat odd, considering I had just as much fun making X-eggs as helping them to get purified. "But the concert was great. Did you see Utau right when the X-eggs came out?"

"Well…" Amu said. "I thought I saw something like wings on her back. But we were farther back in the crowd, so I couldn't be sure."

"That's what I saw – little black bat-like wings." I confirmed.

"So that would mean…" Nadeshiko started.

Tadase nodded, finishing for her. "Utau must be part of Easter's search for the embryo."

"So do you think she was the one who drew out those X-eggs?" asked Kukai.

"Probably." Said Tadase. "But how? And how did those bat-wings appear on her back?"

The answer seemed obvious to me – her character-change must be like my character transformation: we both gain the wings that our charas have, and we're both able to draw out X-eggs. But, of course, the Guardians had probably never seen someone chara-change with wings, and nor did they know that Utau had a guardian character. I decided to go ahead and help them out.

"Well, I was thinking about it throughout the concert." I said. "What if it's like with Ikuto's character-change? Doesn't he get ears and a tail? What if Utau had a chara, and it had wings on it?"

"Do you really think that's possible?" asked Amu. "An idol like Utau with a shugo chara?"

_Actually, with two shugo charas. _I thought to myself. "Yeah, that's my theory."

We talked for a while longer on the matter, but they had to leave soon enough. Yaya's parents had driven them to the concert, and they were waiting in their car to drive the rest of the Guardians home. I told them that my mom should be here any minute, and that I'd just wait around here until she came. They left, and Azami and I waited a few minutes to make sure they were gone.

Then, we found a deserted corner of the park and did our chara-nari. It felt really good – both of us were still buzzing with energy from the concert, and I hadn't had a good chance to stretch my wings in a while.

We flew through the crisp night air, both of us enjoying ourselves. "Tadase wasn't saying everything." Azami said after we'd been flying for a couple of minutes. As always, it felt slightly weird to have her talking from inside of me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When he met up with Ikuto, they exchanged a bit of conversation. Tadase said that the Dumpty Key belonged to him. Ikuto said that Tadase used to call him onii-chan."

"Wait a minute." I said. "There is no way those two could possibly be brothers. They look nothing alike, even when taking into account their age difference. And Tadase hates Ikuto - why would he call him onii-chan?"

"That's what I thought. But anyway, I don't know anymore than that. Maybe we can ask Ikuto next time he comes around."

"Yeah." I said. We didn't talk anymore on the way home. It had been a long, fun day. And though Azami would probably get on my case about being too friendly, I could easily say that they best part of it had been hanging out with Mai.

* * *

Yay! Happy day! Everyone, my story is now over 96,000 words long, making it the longest Shugo Chara fanfic! At the moment, at least. And I'm sorry, but I'm really excited about this. For one, I yet again feel glad that I am staying motivated. But, mainly, I'm simply intensely competitive about things like this. Of course, the doesn't come close to making my story any better than anyone else's, and I realize that. But it is the longest, and that's something concrete and provable, unlike quality. (Sorry, as I said, I'm intensely competitive). You'll probably hear me gloating at the end of next chapter, too, considering that I'll probably reach 100,000 words then.

This was one of those chapters where I didn't know what would happen, for the most part. Just the main parts, like Me(Miyuki) and Mai going to an Utau concert. Everything else just sort of came from there. However, for the most part, I have the story planned to this upcoming mini-climax. I think I even know exactly how many chapters there are left, supposing that someone doesn't do something in the story that I'm not expecting.

Hope you still enjoy it! That is, despite my horrible tendency to brag about my overly-long story. (96,000 words. Just thought I'd emphasize that)


	23. Sleepover Secrets and Shenanigans

"Miyuki-chan." I looked up to see that Nadeshiko was still here. I had just been putting away some stuff in my book bag after the day's Guardian meeting – Azami had thought it would be fun for her and the rest of the charas to raid my bag while I wasn't looking. And so I had a bit of a mess to clean up.

"I thought you'd already left, Nadeshiko." I said. I was slightly confused that to see that Amu was also waiting around. All the rest of the Guardians had already left. "What's going on?" I asked curiously.

Nadeshiko handed me a couple of pens that had been lying on the ground, and said, "Since it's Friday night tomorrow and we've never really done anything together, I was wondering if you'd like to come over for a sleepover at my house after school. Amu-chan is coming, too."

"I'd love to!" I said immediately. Nadeshiko smiled, and Amu just tried to keep her cool and spicy attitude. Underneath though, I could tell she was happy, too. But then I looked back from one to another, and I thought about it a bit. "But…"

"But what, Miyuki-chan?" asked Nadeshiko. "Are you doing something this weekend?"

"No, it's just that…" this would be awkward, but I couldn't help it. "To be honest, you two just seem so close. I wouldn't want to be in the way."

Amu seemed a bit surprised by me directly addressing this fact. She dropped her cool attitude and looked to Nadeshiko, who looked to her. Nadeshiko smiled at Amu, as if what I had said was just something obviously true. Amu seemed disoriented, like she couldn't believe that this wasn't some sort of joke. But then she smiled back at Nadeshiko, seemingly agreeing with my statement in a way that made me feel even more left out by how tight they were. I was good friends with Amu, since we were in the same class and all. But something just really clicked between Nadeshiko and Amu, and they were just so right as friends for each other in a way that I had never experienced with anyone. And as far as Nadeshiko went, I liked her and all, but we'd never really hung out or anything.

Amu turned back to me. "Don't be stupid." She said, using her 'cool and spicy' attitude. But I knew that beneath it, she didn't really mean it the way she made it sound.

"Miyuki-chan, no matter what you may think, we want you to come. That is, unless you're scared of being away from home." Nadeshiko said teasingly. It amazed me how she could talk in a way where she was both quietly graceful and overly perky at the same time.

I blushed angrily a little at Nadeshiko's last comment, but I knew it was intended as a joke. Or, at least, I thought I knew – I sometimes couldn't tell with Nadeshiko. "Well… all right." I finally agreed. "But I'll warn you – I've never been to a sleepover before. I have no idea what might happen. And I'd suggest we hide anything suitable for drawing mustaches on us when we sleep, with Azami around."

"You know, that's a really great idea." Azami said. "I'll keep it in mind."

"I'll make sure to hide the markers." Said Nadeshiko happily. "And don't worry – I've never been to a sleepover, and I've certainly never hosted one. So it will be a new experience for both of us, Miyuki-chan!"

"I haven't been to one before, either." Amu said.

"Don't worry, Amu-chan!" Ran cheered, peppy as always. "It'll be great!"

"I think you might be counting your chickens before they hatch, Ran." Miki said.

"I wonder if Amu will want to talk about boys, desu~." Su said.

"You girls!" Amu shouted at them, exasperated. "Can't you ever just be quiet?"

As they were bickering, Nadeshiko said, "Just get your bag ready tonight. My housekeeper said she would pick all three of us up from school and we could drop by your house afterwards to grab your things. Is that okay with you, Miyuki-chan?"

"Sure." I said. But I couldn't get my mind off of something she had said. _Nadeshiko has a housekeeper? Just how big is her house?_

* * *

I didn't spend too long getting my things together that night. I got together all the stuff I thought I needed (as in, pajamas, clothing for after school, clothing for the next morning, a sleeping bag, a pillow, and one of my favorite DVDs) and put it all in one corner of my room, ready to go. I had heard that there was a chance of snow, so I also brought along a warm outfit in case it did get that cold and we wanted to go outside.

The next day, I could hardly think about anything else. I was a bit disgusted at myself for getting so worked up about it, but I couldn't help it. Sometimes I would be really excited, and other times worried that I'd end up doing something stupid. I noticed that Amu seemed a bit distracted throughout the day as well, but then again, she always seemed distracted at school. And with three shugo charas hanging around her all the time, I couldn't blame her.

"Well, I think we're ready to go!" Nadeshiko said when we all met in front of the school. We weren't having a Guardians meeting today after school today, and I was wondering if perhaps Nadeshiko had somehow had a hand in that.

I was expecting it to be slightly more awkward in the car than it was. I mean, neither Amu nor I had ever met this housekeeper that was driving. However, she turned out to be nice enough that we soon forgot that we'd only met her a couple minutes ago. We went to my house first, and I asked Nadeshiko before I went in to grab my stuff if the things I was planning on bringing were all needed; I would have felt really stupid if I walked out to the car with a sleeping bag in my arms, only to learn that it wasn't needed.

We went by Amu's place next. She had forgotten about bringing a sleeping bag (which was something that we did need), and so she had to search around the house a little bit before she found one. She laughed it off when she got back in the car, and then we were off to Nadeshiko's house.

I think it was Amu's first time at Nadeshiko's house as well, since she looked just about as amazed as I did. It was a traditionally styled Japanese house, and it was huge. At least, it was massive in comparison to either of our homes. I half hoped that they had signs that pointed to the bathroom, though I kind of doubted that. Chances were, I'd get lost.

"Wow, Nadeshiko!" Amu said. "Your house is so… so…"

"Big." I ended her sentence, though I didn't think that was what she was about to say.

Nadeshiko laughed. "It may be big, but it's just a house. Let's go ahead and bring your things to my room." I noticed that Nadeshiko didn't offer to help us with all the stuff we were carrying. Instead, she just led the way. I didn't think she was trying to be mean or anything – she was just never one to do any work. I'd noticed this with Temari, too. Both were always afraid they'd get their kimonos dirty, or something like that.

"You two can go ahead and change out of your uniforms and get settled in." Nadeshiko said cheerily once we made it to her room. "I'll be right back."

Amu and I both looked at each other, confused as to where Nadeshiko might be going. But then we went ahead and got changed. Neither of us were that comfortable changing in front of each other (despite the fact we had to do it all the time for P.E. at school), so Amu went into Nadeshiko's bathroom while I changed in the room. The skirt and shirt I had brought were markedly brighter than my usual, mainly black attire. When Amu came out, we laughed – both of us were wearing similar outfits, from our short-sleeved shirts and short skirts to the pink and blue color schemes. Though Amu had a bit more of a flare for fashion than I did, meaning that her outfit was a lot cooler.

"Did you two plan your outfits without me?" asked Nadeshiko jokingly as she walked back into the room. She had changed into a knee-length brown skirt and a matching top. In a way, it sort of reminded me of Mai's usual choice of clothes outside of school – simple, yet still fashionable.

"We had no idea until just now." I said as I stopped laughing.

"So what are we going to do first?" asked Azami from my shoulder, voicing the question I'd been thinking.

"I thought we could bake something together – cookies, a cake, something like that. How does that sound to you two?" Nadeshiko said.

Amu lit up. "That sounds great! Maybe I could learn the secret to making your great cookies, Nadeshiko."

"Sounds good to me." I said. "But I've never been that great of a cook."

"Don't worry, Su will help you and Amu, desu~!" Su said encouragingly.

We decided to make the classic chocolate chip cookie. Nadeshiko got all the ingredients out when we made it to the kitchen. I was still fairly impressed by the enormity of the house, and I wasn't entirely sure if I could even make it back to Nadeshiko's bedroom without a guide.

We all helped measure out ingredients to mix together in the bowl. I cracked the eggs – something I could actually do – and would have sworn that at least a couple of the charas flinched as I broke them open. Then again, I might have just been imagining it. We all took turns mixing the ingredients together with a beater, and we also took turns doling out spoonfuls onto the cookie tray. While I'd been a bit unsure about this at first, it turned out to be really fun. Each of us ended with our hands covered in cookie dough, and Ran was almost entirely white after she had fallen into the bag of flour. We all laughed when we tried to find some chocolate chips we had set aside and found only Azami and Miki with chocolate around their mouths. Su and Nadeshiko piped in whenever they saw something Amu or I could do better, and I think I actually learned a thing or two.

As we washed ourselves off and waited for the cookies to bake, we talked. Mainly, we stuck to the subject of school: how classes were going, what our respective teachers were like (I was uncharacteristically quiet during this topic - one guess why), and who had the best classmates. Then the timer rang, and we crowded around the oven to see our handiwork. As the door to the oven opened, the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the air. Nadeshiko carefully used a spatula to put all the cookies on a cooling rack, but we weren't about to wait for them to cool down; cookies fresh out of the oven are the best kind.

We ate about half the cookies right then, practically stuffing ourselves. The charas enjoyed themselves as well, and I kind of wished right then that I could have a cookie that was as big as I was. It seemed the stomachs of Ran, Su, and Miki had doubled in size by the time we were done. Azami had managed to restrain herself (though she looked like she had eaten slightly too much), and even Temari had a bit more than was really comfortable.

When I looked at the clock, I was shocked to see that between the mixing, baking, and eating, almost three hours had already passed. I guess that saying that 'time flies when you're having fun' really was true, after all.

"So what do you two want to do now?" asked Nadeshiko as we finished putting what was left of our batch of cookies onto a plate for later.

"Uh, well…" Amu said.

"What could we do?" I asked. Yet again, this was my first sleepover, and the only thing I could think of from movies was pillow fighting.

"Anything you want to do." Nadeshiko said happily. "We could watch a movie if you wanted to, or maybe play a game – hide and seek might be fun."

_You've got to be kidding – I'd get so lost trying to hide in this house. I wouldn't be able to find myself, let alone anyone else. _ And I would bet Nadeshiko knew that. I just could never tell when she was joking or not.

"Or we could do each other's hair. What sounds fun?" Nadeshiko finished.

"Have you ever braided your hair, Nadeshiko?" I asked curiously. Then I could've kicked myself; I didn't exactly want us to mess with each other's hair, due to my lack of much to mess with. When you have hair as short as guy's, it just doesn't work out that well.

"I've never really wanted to braid my hair, Miyuki-chan." Nadeshiko said. "I like having it as it is."

"Oh, come on, Nadeshiko!" Amu said. "Let's do it! I bet it will look great."

"No, let's do something-" But Amu interrupted Nadeshiko, grabbing her hand and pulling her down the hallway. I followed close behind.

"But Amu-chan-" Nadeshiko started as she was pulled along by her determined friend.

"No excuses!" Amu said, smiling. I normally didn't see her in this kind of mood. I wasn't even sure how to describe it. "We're going to braid your hair, and if you don't like it, then we can take it out later."

"All right, but where are you leading us, Amu-chan?" Nadeshiko asked.

"To your bedroom. Where else would we…" Then Amu looked around, and I realized she had no idea where we were in the house.

Nadeshiko smiled. "Would you like me to lead the way?"

Amu smiled too, a bit embarrassed. "That would probably be a good idea."

When we got to Nadeshiko's room, our charas were nowhere to be seen. I figured the must have gotten lost during Amu's charge through the halls. Either that, or they were just exploring. Nadeshiko went into her bathroom, and came out with a hairbrush and many hair ties. I looked at the hair ties questioningly.

"You didn't think my hair is the only one that will be messed with tonight, did you, Miyuki-chan?" Nadeshiko said, smiling this time with just a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "I think we should do Amu-chan's hair next."

Amu protested that idea as we sat down on the floor to do Nadeshiko's hair, but Nadeshiko and I just smiled as if to say 'of course she'll get her hair done, no matter how much she doesn't want to.' Amu dropped the subject as she started brushing through Nadeshiko's hair, getting out any tangles. It hardly needed it – Nadeshiko's hair was always perfect.

But once she was done brushing, Amu hesitated. "What is it, Amu-chan?" asked Nadeshiko, turning around to face us.

"Uh… well… actually, I don't really know how to braid hair." Amu said. "Do you, Miyuki?"

"Yeah, I do." I said, blushing a bit. I _really _didn't want to be known as someone who could do hair, even among just us three. It seemed way too girly for someone like me.

"That's great! You can do it, then." Amu said.

"Okay, but it may not be that great – I haven't braided anyone's hair in a while." I warned. I reluctantly moved over to do Nadeshiko's hair. I separated her hair into three long strands, and then I started weaving them together. I was surprised with myself. It felt like almost second nature; not only was I weaving fast, but it was an almost perfect braid.

"Wow, Miyuki, what are you talking about? You're really great at braiding!" Amu said. "How did you learn to braid that nicely?"

"Well…" I had to think back a bit – I'd actually been braiding for longer than I could remember clearly. "I think my mom must've taught me when I was little, and let me practice on her hair. And actually…"

"What?" asked Nadeshiko without turning around.

"Well, I had really long hair until about a year and a half ago. I used to braid it myself, and trust me; it's a lot easier to braid someone else's hair than your own." I finished.

"I don't think I could imagine you with long hair." Amu said. "Why did you cut it?"

"I suppose it was just an over-reaction to having such long hair." I said. "It always seemed to get in my way, and it was a bit of a hassle. So I insisted that I get it cut short. Really short. But I don't regret it – I really like it better this way." I explained as I used a hair tie to secure the braid at the bottom. Nadeshiko, feeling I was done, got up and went to look in the mirror.

"Amu-chan was right; this braid is really good, Miyuki-chan." Nadeshiko said. "Still, I think I like it better down."

"I think you're probably right, though you look great whatever style your hair is in." I said.

Nadeshiko smiled her thanks for my complement. "And now, it's Amu-chan's turn." Nadeshiko said.

"No, no, that's okay." Amu said, backing up a little bit.

"Aww, come on, Amu." I said, moving so that I was in the way of any escape.

"Do you think I could watch you braid Amu's hair some, Miyuki-chan?" Nadeshiko said. "I'd like to see if I can figure out how you get such a perfect braid."

"Amu's hair is a bit on the short side for braiding, but I guess we could do a bunch of little ones." I suggested. And whether Amu wanted it or not, we started going through and making a bunch of short, tiny braids in her hair. The charas made it back to the room (Ran, Miki, and Su had been separated from Azami and Temari, which was why they hadn't been back sooner), and insisted that they help out. Su, Miki, and Ran would each grab a strand of hair and then weaved around each other, creating somewhat messy braids. Temari and Azami also cooperated, to make braids that were only slightly less messed up.

Everyone except Amu was laughing throughout this. In the end, Amu's hair was a mess of loose braids, with her X-clip pinned to the top of one near the side of her face. Temari and Nadeshiko were the only ones who didn't crack up when Amu looked in the mirror, but I could tell they were enjoying it just as much as the rest of us.

"Isn't there someone with snakes for hair in mythology?" I asked.

"Miyuki!" Amu said indignantly.

"I think her name was 'Medusa'." Miki added helpfully.

"Miki!" Amu said even more angrily, trying to grab her. When she missed, she turned back to me. "Well, what are we going to do with your hair?"

I could tell she wanted to do something extreme with my hair in mock retaliation. "I don't think you could do much with my hair." I said. "It's just too short."

"I could think of some things." Azami said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "How about a mohawk?"

"You little traitor!" I said. "Don't give them suggestions!"

"That's an idea…" Amu said, grinning evilly. "But I think we can do better than that."

"I think spikes would look quite nice." Miki said.

"And here I was, thinking you were on my side." I said in mock exasperation. I actually was kinda curious what my hair would look like if spiked.

"I think we could do that." Said Nadeshiko, looking just as mischievous as the rest of them. "I'll be right back." She went into her bathroom and came out with a bottle of high-strength hair gel.

"Since when do you use hair gel, Nadeshiko?" I asked.

"You never know when it might come in handy." Nadeshiko said. "Take now, for example – aren't you glad I had some?"

"Yeah, ecstatic." I said sarcastically, laughing as I did so. Amu lead the effort, drenching my hair with gel and doing her best to pull it up into spikes. Miki gave her some tips since, according to her, hairstyling was an art in itself. In the end, I ended up with a head full of slim spikes, each with one of my purple streaks curling around it (that was Miki's suggestion). It felt really strange, but it actually looked cool. I laughed along with the rest of them, showing off my new punk hairdo.

It was already pretty late by the time we finished – at least, late for fifth graders. We all got changed into our night clothes (like the first time, Nadeshiko went and changed elsewhere while Amu got changed in her bathroom and I in her bedroom), undid our respective hairdos, and got ready to go to sleep. But none of us wanted to go to bed quite yet. We debated about watching a movie, but we all wanted to do something a bit more involving than that.

"How about truth or dare?" Azami suggested, the look on her face more evil than I could ever remember seeing.

"Azami!" I said. She knew what could happen if I played truth or dare – I had too many secrets to hide. Then again, I guess I could just pick dare each time. I looked around to see that Amu was blushing slightly, and even Nadeshiko seemed a bit put off for a moment.

"Yeah, come on, Amu-chan! It sounds like fun!" Ran said.

Su agreed. "It could be interesting, desu~."

"That is, unless your afraid." Said Miki.

"I'm not scared!" Amu said.

"I guess I'd be okay with it." Nadeshiko said.

"I'm okay with it, too." I finally agreed. "But no asking on truth 'what's your biggest secret', since that sorta takes the fun out of it – going straight to the biggest thing. Plus, that could mean anything, and it can be hard to figure out what the 'biggest' is."

"Are you sure you just don't have some big secret, Miyuki-chan?" Azami taunted.

"Azami!" I shouted again. Was she _trying _to give me away? "If you don't quit teasing, then I just won't play."

"I'll tease you if I want to." Azami said, though she didn't follow it up with any teasing, so I guessed she was taking my threat seriously.

"All right, let's play." Nadeshiko said. "Amu, do you want to ask someone first?"

"Oh, sure." Amu said. She looked back and forth between Nadeshiko and I, then made her decision. "Nadeshiko: truth or dare?"

"I'll take truth, Amu-chan." She said. And though she was smiling, she seemed a bit antsy. Which was extremely strange for the always-calm Nadeshiko.

"Do you like anybody at school?" she asked.

Nadeshiko smiled. "Well, let's see… I like you and Miyuki-chan, and all the rest of the Guardians, and I've got quite a few friends in my class as well."

"Come on, Nadeshiko – you know what I meant." Amu said.

Nadeshiko shook her head. "I answered your question, and now it's my turn." Amu looked kind of annoyed with herself for not being more specific, but didn't seem too angry. "Okay, Miyuki-chan – truth or dare?"

I felt daring and so, ironically, I answered truth.

"Why is Azami a dragon?" Nadeshiko asked.

I wasn't expecting this kind of question, but I answered somewhat honestly. "I suppose it's just because I love dragons. How free they are, their strength – stuff like that. I want to be able to be free and strong like a dragon, I guess." It was completely true, what I said – I just sort of left out some of the subtleties of being a dragon. For example, I didn't tell her the whole 'do anything they want' thing, or 'not any standards' part.

Azami flew around our heads, as if to show how amazing she was. "Who wouldn't want to be a dragon?" she asked rhetorically.

I ignored her, and decided to bring the game full circle. "Amu, truth or dare?"

She was looking a bit sleepy by now, which I guessed had something to do with her choice. "I'll do truth, too."

I thought about asking her if she liked anyone other than Tadase, but I sort of knew the answer already. So instead, I asked, "What did you think about me when you first saw me?" It was something I wondered a lot, actually – with my extreme haircut and dragon necklace, I always thought I looked a bit intimidating.

"Let me try to remember – I've known you so much longer than that first meeting, so it's kind of hard to recall exactly." Amu said. "I know I definitely thought you were different. But then again, I doubted that you could be that much different than how other people saw me. In truth, I think I saw you as a bit of a threat to my 'cool and spicy' position, with your hair and all. But then the girls - Ran, Miki, and Su - told me they felt you had a shugo chara, and then my mind started going through all sorts of possibilities."

"So now it's my turn to ask. Again." Amu continued. "Miyuki – truth or dare?"

"I'll go with dare this time." I said, for the sake of variety. Amu took a couple moments to think (which was hard, because her charas plus Azami were all yelling out suggestions), then her face lit up. "Can I save up your dare and see if I can get a dare from Nadeshiko in a minute? I want to see you two do a dare together."

"It's fine with me." I said. "What about you, Nadeshiko?"

"I'm okay with that too, Amu-chan. In fact, do you want to just ask us both now? I'd choose dare for the next time you would have picked me, anyway."

"Okay, here it is – I dare you two to have a pillow fight."

"Is that all?" I asked. "It doesn't seem like-"

"With both of you chara-changed." Amu finished.

"Amu-chan, are you sure that's such a good idea?" Nadeshiko asked. "You know I can get a bit carried away when I change with Temari."

"Are you saying Miyuki can't handle it?" Azami asked, slightly angry.

Then I grinned. "Or are you afraid?"

A flower appeared in Nadeshiko's hair, and she lost any shred of calm she had. She jumped up, grabbing her pillow. "What did you just say!?!"

The gem in my necklace turned red, as did my eyes. "I asked if you were chicken to fight me in a pillow fight. You are, aren't you?"

Amu was starting to see how dangerous this could actually get. "Uh, you guys, let's forget I said anything…"

"Shut up! This dragon is going down!" Nadeshiko raised her pillow above her head, preparing to strike. Since I was still sitting on the floor, I readied myself to roll out of the way.

Then there was a knock on the door. "Girls, is everything all right in there?" the housekeeper said from the hallway. Both of our chara-changes immediately dissipated.

"We're fine." Nadeshiko said as she put down her pillow.

The housekeeper peeked in the door. "You three should probably go ahead and go to bed. You can talk some more in the morning."

"Okay. I'm sorry if we were a bit loud a moment ago." Nadeshiko said.

"Not a problem." The housekeeper said, before leaving.

Nadeshiko gave me one of her overly perky smiles. "Don't worry – we'll finish our pillow fight tomorrow. Preferably outside, where we won't break something."

"Sounds good to me." I said. Amu was looking like she really wished she hadn't issued that dare. Nadeshiko turned off the light, and we all climbed into our sleeping bags. Nadeshiko had decided to sleep on the floor with Amu and I, instead of in her bed. All the charas took advantage of this, and took the bed for themselves.

Right as I was beginning to doze off, Amu spoke up in the semi-darkness. "Nadeshiko? Miyuki?" she said, her voice troubled.

"I'm still awake." I said.

"Me too." Said Nadeshiko. "What is it, Amu-chan?"

"There's something that's been bothering me lately… actually, Miyuki is the one who told me about it first. Do you mind if I tell Nadeshiko?" Amu asked.

I was a bit confused. I couldn't think what she was talking about. "What did I tell you?"

"Your guess about Nikaido." Amu replied.

Oh yeah, now I remembered. "Isn't Nikaido your teacher?" Nadeshiko asked.

"Yeah." I answered. "And I don't mind if you tell her, Amu. It's just a guess, after all."

"But I think you might be on to something, no matter how unlikely it might seem." Amu said. "Anyway, what reminded me of it tonight was when we were talking about school and such earlier. Miyuki told me a couple weeks back that she thought that maybe Nikaido was the cause of so many X-eggs around the school lately."

"Well, there have been a lot of X-eggs." Nadeshiko said. "But why do you think it's your teacher?"

"Once Miyuki mentioned it, I started trying to look around whenever there was an X-egg. And I did notice that Nikaido was nearby a lot of the time. Knowing how our teacher acts, it seems impossible, but…"

"If you think he might have something to do with it, we should bring it up at the Guardians meeting on Monday." Nadeshiko suggested.

"Do you think so?" Amu said. "But what if we're wrong?"

"They say that it's better to be safe than sorry, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko replied.

We were all quiet for a moment. Then, "Thanks, Nadeshiko. We'll do that." Amu replied, her voice seeming a little less worried. We all went to bed after that, but now my mind was filled with images of Nikaido and his fake smile. It took me a while to fall asleep.

* * *

It's important to note that, while I'm normally an early riser, I am out cold during the night. A hurricane could have blown through and it would have been nothing more than a shower to me. Which was why you might be able to imagine that when I woke up (at approximately eight thirty in the morning) and went to the bathroom the next morning, I was shocked to see a sharpie mustache, goatee, and glasses all scribbled on my face. I simply stared at it for a minute, my sleepy mind wondering where they had come from. Then my mind cleared up enough, and anger brushed away any remnants of sleepiness.

"AZAMI!" I shouted, not caring who I woke up. Laughing broke out from somewhere above me, and I looked up to see not just Azami, but _all_ the shugo charas laughing.

"Huh? What's going on?" asked Amu sleepily as she walked into the bathroom, followed by a slightly less drowsy Nadeshiko.

"Were you all in on this!?!" I yelled up at the charas. Thankfully, Nadeshiko's bedroom was fairly removed from the rest of the house. Someone probably would have needed to walk by her door to hear anything from her bathroom.

"Azami just woke us up a little bit ago to watch." Temari said, giggling. "She was the only one who actually did it."

"I was gonna get everyone," Azami said between laughs. "But everyone except you was gone when I woke up in the night, and so I had to settle with just you."

I was still absolutely furious, but I was also curious as to where the others had been. "Where'd all of you go to?" I asked.

Amu looked to Nadeshiko as if she wasn't sure she could say, but Nadeshiko explained. "I had to practice my dancing, Miyuki-chan, since I didn't get a chance after school. Amu and her charas woke up soon after I left, and so they joined me. We decided to try and wake you up, and we did try, but you were completely asleep." I was impressed - Nadeshiko must be really dedicated. I would never be able to convince myself to get up in the middle of the night.

"We thought you were dead for a while." Amu added, as if she was being helpful. "You weren't moving no matter how much we shook you."

"Hmm… I must have slept through that, too." Azami contemplated. "I just remember waking up while everyone was gone."

I looked back at my reflection again, and everyone – Nadeshiko and Amu included – started laughing at my expression. "GET OUT!" I said, doing my best to push all of them out the door. They left me be, and I did my best to scrub off all the sharpie. My face was rubbed red by the time I was done, and there were still faint traces of black around my eyes and mouth.

When I came out, Nadeshiko and Amu were already dressed. "You didn't forget about our battle, did you?" asked Nadeshiko.

"Of course not." I said. I was ready for a fight right now, though my preference would have been going one-on-one with a certain mischievous chara.

Nadeshiko smiled sweetly. "All right, but I hope you've brought some warm clothes. I figured we might want to have a snowball fight instead of using pillows."

"Wait – snowball?" I asked. Nadeshiko opened the curtains over her window, and I looked out to see the ground outside covered in at least three inches of snow.

I got dressed rapidly into the warm outfit I had brought. Amu was borrowing one of Nadeshiko's jackets to wear. We made it outside, and Amu's charas were the ones to list the conditions of the fight.

"First of all," Miki said, "Each of you will get time to build a fort."

"Once your forts are built," Su continued, "It's a snowball-throwing free-for-all, desu~!"

"Amu is the judge to see who wins!" Ran said. "So forts first! On your marks, get set, GO!" We character-changed right as the word 'go' was said, and we both started working furiously on making the strongest, biggest fort we could, while exchanging verbal taunts throughout. For example –

"What kind of fort is that?" I would shout. "My grandma could make one better!"

"Look who's talking!" Nadeshiko would retort. "At least mine is strong! Yours couldn't stand up to a raging caterpillar!"

"Oh yeah? Well-" …and so on and so on. Our forts were more or less complete within five minutes (our chara-changes made it go by extremely fast).

"All right, on three, let the snowballs fly!" Ran shouted. "One... Two… Three!" And fly they did. Nadeshiko threw hard and fast, but would often be off on her aim due to the rage of her chara-change. My aim was a lot better, but my chara-change was nowhere near as intense as hers. And throughout the continuously flying snowballs, we kept up the verbal barrage as well. However, it turned out that her comment about the raging caterpillar was somewhere close to the truth. My fort had been taller than hers, but it was thin and unable to stand up against her hard-hitting, tightly-packed snowballs. Mine slowly collapsed, leaving me with nothing to hide behind.

I kept it up for a little while, despite the loss of my fort, but I knew it was in vain. Deciding to throw in the towel with at least a little dignity, I went ahead and over dramatized it.

I let the chara-change fade, and then started my act as soon as a snowball hit me in the shoulder. "Oh no! I am hit!" I fell to my knees, then all the way to the ground. It was cold, but I was already fairly numb all over. "My life is flashing before my eyes! Goodbye, cruel world!" I went limp, feigning death.

"HA! TAKE THAT!" Nadeshiko gloated, before the chara-change faded and she went back to normal. "Oh dear – I think I did get a bit out of hand."

Everyone crowded around my fallen body, and I decided to keep up the act.

"Is she dead, desu~?" asked Su.

"I never knew you were so over-dramatic, Miyuki-chan." I heard Nadeshiko's voice say.

"I'll get the sharpie!" Azami shouted out, which broke my composure. I opened my eyes and grabbed some loose snow from the ground and hurled it at Azami, hitting her dead-on.

"No more sharpies!" I said, laughing, as she started to chase me around the yard. Everyone cracked up, and it ended up turning into a mad snowball fight between the charas.

* * *

The housekeeper took Amu and I home later. And though I was now cold, wet, and numb, I had to admit that had been a fun first sleepover. I couldn't help but wonder whether or not Nadeshiko did actually _like _like someone from school – it had slipped from our minds the previous night.

As I dried off a bit and attempted to wash off the last of the sharpie from my face, I tried to cement everything from last night and this morning into my memory. I never wanted to forget it. Baking with Amu and Nadeshiko, the silliness of the charas, and even the sharpie on my face – this was one of those times that I knew I would probably remember for years, if not the rest of my life.

And then something occurred to me, which made me stop dead in my tracks. I was glad Azami wasn't in the room right now, or else I would have to explain to her what was troubling me.

_How would I ever be able to betray them without losing this great friendship in the process?_

_

* * *

_

Sorry, that ending didn't sound all that great.... oh well. Anyway, funny story about this chapter... (Sorry, this has to be a long ending)

So, I actually wrote this chapter (as well as the one that follows it) about a week ago. I would have posted them immediately, but thanks to a new game that came out (pokemon platinum), I knew I wouldn't have time for a while. So I stored up these chapters. So I had been planning on posting this one today, since I posted the last chapter a week ago, and I hadn't really thought about a little fun fact about today: that being, it's my birthday! (actually, it might not be by the time I get this posted - my b-day is March 27th) And I definitely hadn't been thinking about the possibility of a sleepover (though I knew it was a possibility - I just didn't think about it). So, not only was it a coincidence that I'm posting a chapter sleepover while I'm at a sleepover, but there's more! Despite the fact that it's March, it's actually winter weather out right now, just like in the chapter~! I thought it was so awesome. (although right now, I've got about three inches of sleet with more sleet and snow on the way; not the nice, snowball-snow of the chapter. But don't worry - I like this kind of extreme weather better than snow, anyway.)

So, anyway, this is my birthday present to myself! My story is now OFFICIALLY over 100,000 words! And out of the three presents I got, this was probably the best!

Here's to my friends, only one of whom is at my sleepover! Thanks to VampireFreakForever and ImAfraidofJellyfish (who are not here, but who got me to come onto in the first place) as well as my non-fanfiction friend who is here, Mia~! Here's a word from her~

**Mia: **Hello people!!

**Me again: **Yeah, she just got traumatized by a pillow attack by my brother... so she can't say anything. Well, I hope you're enjoying the story! If you now ever need to find it, just look at the 100,000 words Shugo Chara stories~ Mine is the only one up there~ Happy Birthday to myself~! (sorry, that sounds really lame...)


	24. A Melody in the Night

Amu looked at me meaningfully as she grabbed a cookie during the Guardian meeting on Monday. For once, there wasn't a lot for us to do, and so we were just enjoying our cookies and tea. However, I didn't want to be the one to tell the Guardians about Nikaido - I was already starting to get paranoid that he'd find out I was giving him away, in which case he might do something in retaliation. I tried to gesture to her in response, to get her to at least start the explanation. Amu got the message, but shook her head almost imperceptibly, clearly saying that she wanted me to be the one to tell them.

It was about then that I noticed that Nadeshiko was smiling laughingly at us from where she sat next to Amu. And that made me notice that the rest of the Guardians had gone quiet, staring at us and trying to figure out what was going on. I blushed, picked up a cookie, and started eating as if nothing had happened. Amu then caught on, and blushed and looked down.

"Hinamori-san? Yamada-san? Are you both alright?" asked Tadase.

Nadeshiko explained when both of us still refused to start the topic of Nikaido. "I think they just have something they'd like to tell us. Why don't you start, Amu-chan?"

Amu couldn't really avoid it now that she was being addressed directly, so she gave in. "Well..." she worked up her resolve. "We think that Nikaido - our teacher - might be responsible for the X-eggs. Miyuki suspected him first, and then when she told me a couple weeks ago, I started noticing that Nikaido was around a lot whenever we sensed an X-egg here."

She looked to me so I could confirm what she said. "Yeah. He acts really nice all the time, but..." I trailed off, not wanting to say any more in the event that I would give too much away. Everyone was serious now. Except perhaps Kukai, but he was at the very least attentively silent.

"Are you sure?" Yaya asked with a thoughtful pout on her face. "Yaya always thought your teacher was silly when he trips in the hallways."

"Your teacher does seem like such a goof!" Kukai said, laughing. "What made you think he was the one causing the X-eggs, Miyuki?"

"Well, uh... I guess it was... Well, when my friend Mai had an X-egg, Nikaido should have been there. I guess that must have been when I first started suspecting him." I said. I hoped my hesitancy wouldn't let the fact that I was lying show through.

"What do you think, Fujisaki-san?" Tadase asked.

"They told me about it this weekend, and so I've been thinking about it." Nadeshiko said. "I decided that it made sense, even if it was unlikely. We've seen so many X-eggs recently, and it does seem like they started appearing right around when he was hired as a new teacher."

"I'm not sure if I quite believe it..." Tadase said. "But if you three are convinced, then we should look into it. We can all keep an eye on Nikaido for any suspicious activity, as well as look for him whenever there are X-eggs around." Everyone agreed, so we decided to finish the Guardian meeting and head home for the night. I went out for my nightly X-egg harvest, making certain to stay clear of anywhere the Guardians could be. They would probably be more on alert now, since they knew the suspicion about Nikaido. I was starting to wonder if telling them had been the greatest idea. But what was done was done, and there was little I could do about it now except wait and see.

* * *

"All right, class, since there is only one more full week after this week before winter break, this will be your last poem." Nikaido announced the next day as he began passing out the sheets of poetry. The class cheered. Nikaido, acting completely ignorant as always, replied, "Yes, I know – I'm sure we'll all miss this wonderful poetry unit."

"Good riddance." I muttered under my breath.

"Did you say something, Mizuki-san?" Nikaido asked, walking over to my desk first.

_I didn't know he had such good hearing. I'll need to keep that in mind. _I thought. "Yes, I was just saying how much I would miss all this wonderful poetry as well, Nikaido-sensei." I said, my voice layered with sarcasm. A couple students nearby heard, and giggled. Despite this lightheartedness, my heart rate was increasing. I still had very little tolerance for Nikaido, even though I'd been putting up with him for... I thought back, trying to figure out how long it had been since the revelation of him being evil. Had it really only been two months? It seemed like an eternity.

"Ah, yes, it is quite sad that we won't be enjoying such fine poetry in class anymore." Nikaido answered, ignoring my sarcasm as always. "Of course, you could always enjoy poetry on your own, Mizuki-san."

He handed me my new poem and went on. I flipped it over and read, murmuring the words under my breath.

Caged Bird

BY MAYA ANGELOU

A free bird leaps  
on the back of the wind  
and floats downstream  
till the current ends  
and dips his wing  
in the orange sun rays  
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks  
down his narrow cage  
can seldom see through  
his bars of rage  
his wings are clipped and  
his feet are tied  
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings  
with a fearful trill  
of things unknown  
but longed for still  
and his tune is heard  
on the distant hill  
for the caged bird  
sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze  
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees  
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn  
and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams  
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream  
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied  
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings  
with a fearful trill  
of things unknown  
but longed for still  
and his tune is heard  
on the distant hill  
for the caged bird  
sings of freedom.

I desperately hoped Nikaido wasn't implying something here. I was still holding out on the chance that Ikuto had been mistaken, and Easter had no way to trap me or trick me or control me in any way. But I had a feeling that with this poem, Nikaido was either trying to psych me out into thinking something that wasn't true, or else he was just stating the facts.

And if the latter was the case, then the caged bird was smarter than me in one respect - it hadn't been stupid enough to walk right into its own cage.

* * *

I was feeling down that evening, and was somewhat surprised when I found my feet leading me to a park. But not just any park – the park I had been at the last time I had received a new poem to memorize. And thanks to Azami's reminder the following day, I remembered everything about the experience. This had been the last place I had seen Ikuto, as well. I wondered if he came here often. Or, here's a thought – what if he had only been there that night to warn me about what he had heard? Was he going out of his way to help me? But that seemed silly; he didn't seem to really care about anyone except himself and Yoru.

As I got closer to the park, I heard the familiar pulse of loud music. It wasn't any song I recognized, and it sounded fairly unprofessional, but it was still good. When I walked into the park itself, it seemed to me like there was an entire music festival going on. Scattered all around the central area of the park were different local music groups, each rocking out to its own music. Some groups had large groups of people screaming support, while others just had one or two listening in. Some spectators were just milling about, switching from group to group so as to hear a little of everything.

I had been planning on doing some X-egg harvesting here again. I even had my X-egg bag with me, ready to go. But somehow… I didn't want to. Either that, or I simply couldn't bring myself to ruin the great mood that was in the air right now. I mean, this atmosphere was even cheering me up, which I really needed right now. I was realizing that the poems Nikaido chose for me always managed to make me feel gloomy. For once, I decided to simply enjoy myself. Azami seemed slightly disappointed by not taking such an obvious opportunity to get X-eggs, but she still seemed to like the music.

I started by just making my way through the entire event. Sometimes I would stop and listen to a single group for a couple of songs, and other bands I just skipped over all together. Eventually, I found myself drawn back a couple of the louder, more punk-rock music groups. Some of the songs they played I recognized, and other ones sounded original. I normally wasn't a huge fan of this genre, but now that I thought about it, punk just sort of seemed to fit my personality in some respects.

I think I had probably been there for about an hour when I heard it. Something different than the loud, happy tunes I'd been listening to. I followed it, slowly drifting from the main body of people out into a different part of the park. Whatever it was, it was a wordless melody of sorrow. It sounded like it might be a violin, but I'd never been an expert on instruments and wasn't entirely sure. As I began to turn a corner to see where the sound was coming from, it suddenly cut off. Thinking I'd been found out by perhaps someone who wanted to keep his (or her) playing a secret, I quickly ducked into some bushes. When I heard no one coming after me, I snuck ahead as quietly as I could, keeping beneath the shadows of the trees and other foliage.

Once I thought I was near where the song had been coming from, I took a cautious peek out of the bushes and nearly gasped. At the top of a set of stairs was Ikuto, violin in one hand. And while that was shocking enough (I hadn't expected Ikuto to be much of an instrumental kind of guy), what surprised me even more was whom he was talking to: Amu. I was about twenty feet away, and they were talking too softly for me to hear. And there was no way I could move closer without them seeing me.

As quietly as I could, I asked, "Azami, can you hear what they're saying?"

Azami shook her head. She whispered into my ear, "I would, if not for all the background music from the festival."

Suddenly, Amu spoke up enough so that I could hear. "Please, Ikuto! Just play a bit more. It was such a beautiful song."

Ikuto answered something that I couldn't hear, but that made Amu turn red.

"Fine! I don't need to listen to your music, anyway." Amu responded as she crossed her arms and turned away from Ikuto.

It seemed like Ikuto chuckled or something like that, but then he lifted his violin to his chin and began to play. Amu turned around as the first notes filled the air. My mouth practically hung open in awe. There Ikuto was, framed by the full moon in the sky behind him, playing his beautiful yet sad song. The music also affected the Darkness (as I was now calling the dark energy, now with a capital 'D') within me. Unlike Utau's song, this tune just made the Darkness feel like it was weighing me down with sorrow and guilt, until I felt almost certain I would just fall onto the ground in sadness.

I saw Amu, and she had a look of wonder on her face. Perhaps it was simply the lack of proper light, but I would have almost sworn that she also had a look of admiration on her face. And perhaps, even, something more. The Darkness in me swelled, with what had previously been a relatively rare feeling for me: jealousy. I wasn't even sure what I was jealous of. Perhaps it was seeing one of my closest friends paying so much attention to someone other than me, though that sounds silly. More likely, I was jealous that Ikuto was actually playing his violin for Amu. He had never done that for me. Or maybe it was both possibilities making me jealous.

Then the jealousy turned to anger. I still didn't know what I was jealous or angry at. I wanted to shut up the people at the music festival behind me, make Ikuto stop playing his violin, and I mainly just wanted everyone to be completely gone. Ikuto stopped playing, but the feeling remained. Then Ikuto muttered something to Amu under his breath, smirking.

"Of course I don't!" Amu said, turning red again.

Ikuto said something else, and Amu seemed to get even angrier. Or perhaps embarrassed. "I'll just leave then!" She shouted. She turned around and started stomping away. I watched her for a few seconds, then looked back to see how Ikuto was reacting. But he had disappeared. Amu turned around as well, and seemed initially sad that he was gone. But then she said something to herself (or maybe to her charas) and walked off, back towards all the other music.

"Azami, follow Amu and tell me if she leaves the park or not. I don't want her to see me." I said.

Azami grinned. "So we're now spying on Amu? You sure you want to do that?"

"Just do it." I said. I was still in a horrible mood. Azami flew off in pursuit, and I sat down on the ground, my thoughts rapidly going downhill.

_Is Ikuto giving Amu special treatment? Why? He probably hates me. He probably never cared about me at all. I bet Easter ordered him to try and get me to trust him. Maybe that was their plan to get control of me. I bet the whole crystal thing was just a lie! He was probably just saying it to hurt and confuse me. He definitely hates me. And I hate him! Stupid black cat!_

My thoughts continued on this course, and I was silently raging by the time Azami made it back. "So? Did she leave?" I asked.

"Yes." Azami said. "It looked like she was heading back to her house. So could you remind me why you're having me do your spying for you?"

"Because you're a lot smaller, obviously." I said impatiently. "Anyway, let's go. I don't want to hang around here any more."

I got up and began walking away without another word. I started cutting through the trees and bushes in the direction of my house, but as I did, I neared the music festival, which was still going full tilt.

_What is there to be so happy about? _I thought rebelliously, forgetting that I had joined them just a little bit ago. _Why can't they all just shut up? It's just a bunch of racket, having so many groups playing and singing at once. _I just stood there in the shadows of the trees for probably a good ten minutes, my anger absolutely boiling. I didn't know if Azami was sharing my feelings or not since she was remaining silent, but I could tell by the increasingly frequent flicking of her tail and shuffling of her wings that she was definitely agitated about something.

I broke the silence first. "Azami, let's chara-nari. We're going to get some X-eggs tonight, after all." I didn't care if Amu probably close enough to feel the character transformation or not – I just wanted to shut up all these stupid, happy people. I needed to take my anger out on something.

Azami smiled excitedly. "Now you're talking!" Power rose inside of me, and it started.

"My own heart – unlock!" The dark fog enveloped me, and I felt the changes. The black dress replaced my regular clothes, and my wings, tail, and horns all appeared as they should.

"Chara-nari: Dark Dragon!" I noticed for the first time that my transformation did seem quite a bit more powerful since my last X-energy power boost. I ran through the trees, found a spot that was open to the sky, then jumped up and flapped my wings. I circled above the crowd, sneering with distaste.

"Let 'em have it!" Azami encouraged.

I stopped in the air and hovered. "Hopeless Haze!" I said, perhaps louder than was really necessary. Flames appeared in both of my hands, each giving off a lot of smoke. I didn't blow the smoke away this time. I simply directed where I wanted it to go with my mind. The smoke gathered and sunk down, until a fairly thick haze covered the crowd. The music died down, then stopped all together. The excited listeners seemed to droop. Not everyone gave up an X-egg, but everyone did seem to lose any awareness of the world around them. I grinned evilly, then swopped down and began to gather the disoriented eggs from the smoke. I managed to cram about twenty-five or so eggs into my bag before it was packed tight, and there were still about ten floating around. I breathed deeply in the refreshing smell of the smoke, highly satisfied with the night's work.

The haze was beginning to fade, and I got the feeling that someone was watching me. I was still in the air, so I scanned the ground below me. On one side of the haze, Ikuto was standing, watching with cool indifference. I flew down and landed next to him, my tail swishing back in forth due to my want to get back in the sky.

I was still angry with him for my unknown reasons, so I decided to mess with him a bit. "You know, those X-eggs will probably come to their senses in a couple minutes. Think about all the havoc they could wreak." It helped that my dragon character could be fairly evil, and hence the somewhat maniacal enjoyment I was getting out of this whole situation.

Ikuto didn't respond. Though his eyes looked uncaring, it seemed like he didn't approve. I continued, "I don't know what you were doing at the Utau concert, but you seemed pretty interested in X-eggs then. I've collected as many as I can for tonight and I'm not in the mood for target practice, so you're welcome to do what you want with the ones that are left. Or you could just stay to see what happens if they are left as-is. I think I'll be watching, either way." I jumped up and began circling again, not waiting for a reply. Ikuto stayed where he was for probably about half a minute. Then he glowed with the light of character transformation, and I heard him call out –

"Chara-nari: Black Lynx!" As I flew above, I watched as he began to destroy the remaining eggs one by one. The remnants of my haze were still lingering, making the eggs slower and easier to catch. Both Azami and I watched with a sort of distorted sense of amusement.

Then, I saw movement on the ground as someone rapidly approached the scene. I was certainly glad that I'd decided to watch from above – the visitor was Amu. I guessed she had either sensed my chara-nari, or the massive amount of X-eggs. Ikuto had just grabbed the last egg and had it in his hand when Amu made her presence known.

"Ikuto! What are you doing? What happened to all these people?" Amu asked, her eyes hurt. I felt a bit of guilt at this, but brushed it away. That kind of feelings had no place in my character transformation.

"Just cleaning up someone else's mess." Ikuto said indifferently. I noticed that his hand started clenching tighter on the X-egg, and it let out little cries of protest. It reminded me almost exactly of when I first character transformed and did the same thing.

"Stop it! That's someone's dreams!" Even as Amu spoke, the egg shattered.

Amu looked stunned for a moment, and Ikuto remained looking as uncaring as always. Then Amu shouted out, "How could you do that?!?" Ikuto stayed silent. Amu looked even more hurt by his indifference than when he had actually broken the egg. "I hate you!" She shouted, a couple of tears streaming down her face. Ikuto didn't reply. I grinned – the monster of jealousy inside me had been satisfied.

Whether I wanted to help Ikuto out of his little confrontation with Amu or just add a bit more confusion into the mix, I'm not sure. Either way, I whispered my customary 'Hopeless Haze' attack, and sent pillars of smoke billowing down, engulfing both Amu and Ikuto. I was expecting Ikuto to just run and save himself, but as the smoke cleared, I realized something was wrong.

Ikuto hadn't run away. He was standing off to one side of the festival area, with Amu in his arms. I was offended. _Would he have done that for me?_ I wondered. Ikuto was glaring up at me. My rage built to the point where I wanted to attack both of them, but I knew that now wasn't the time. Instead, I flew off to my house, leaving before the stunned Amu could follow Ikuto's gaze.

I got in bed almost as soon as I got home. But as I sat in the darkness, waiting for sleep to come, I realized what I had just done. The evening seemed like a dream, with vivid images being recalled and anything in between them being too blurry to remember well.

_The Darkness must have made me go insane for a while. _I thought as two silent tears of shock ran down my face. _How could I be jealous of either Amu or Ikuto? How could I get so angry at them? How could I attack either of them? That was definitely the X-energy deciding for me. I had absolutely no real reason for that extreme of a reaction. But…_

_Do I really get that much enjoyment out of creating all those X-eggs? And what about when I was talking to Ikuto and getting him to destroy the rest of the X-eggs? Do I even feel guilty about ruining the lives of so many people at that festival? And if all these things are true, is it really that bad? I do want to be a dragon, and dragons don't care about others, as long as they get what they want. And I attacked Amu and Ikuto so willingly – I thought I was her friend, but if I can do that so easily, can that really be true? Have I just been joking myself all this time? If it was that easy, do I even need friends?_

_But tonight, how much was the X-energy influencing the actions and how much was actually me?_

* * *

So I felt like I rushed my explanation in this chapter, but from now on I will often be referring to the dark feeling inside Me/Miyuki as 'the Darkness' (with the capital D). This is just because it really needed a definite name, since I refer to it so much.

Also, thanks to the whopping eight people who took my poll about the general quality of my story! I still encourage anyone who hasn't yet to take it to help me improve on my story. However, I have a new poll on my profile now~! This is about how everyone thinks I should continue my story after the mini-climax. I've got several options, mainly focusing around (1) - just continuing it all as one massive fanfic, or (2) splitting it up into different parts, though several possibilities with my labeling of these possible parts are different choices. The main thing with one huge fanfic would be... well, if I continue at this pace, it would be next to impossible for anyone to ever beat my fic in length. As I've said, I'm highly competitive. On the other hand, splitting it into different parts would make it much more manageable. So please just let me know through the poll. Though, in truth, the REAL best way to let me know how you feel is to review~! Thanks to everyone!


	25. The Egg of Mai's Heart

I had already noticed that Mai was even more antsy this Friday than she had been the past couple of weeks. So when she finally came up to me right before lunch, I was more curious than I was surprised.

"Hey, um, Miyuki?" She asked, as quiet as ever.

"Yeah?" I said, hanging back a little to let the rest of the hungry students get ahead so that Mai and I could have a bit of privacy.

"Do you think... well... I don't know, maybe you could..." Mai said, hesitant. She looked a bit embarrassed, though why that would be I couldn't guess.

"Just go ahead and ask, Mai. Asking won't kill you - I promise." I said jokingly, trying to get her to loosen up.

She blushed a bit more. "It's just that... Do you think you could come over to my house for a bit after school?"

I smiled. "Are you finally going to reveal what you've been so secretive about lately?"

She nodded. "Well? Can you come?"

She seemed really eager, despite her original embarrassment. "Of course I can come. There was supposed to be a Guardian meeting today-"

"Well, if you can't come, then-" Mai started, interrupting. Though I just kept on going.

"But I'll just let them know that I can't come today. They'll understand." I finished.

"Are you sure?" Mai asked. "I can wait... I don't want you to miss a meeting just for me."

"Seriously, don't worry about it." I said. "I'm pretty sure we were just going to be going through some papers today. I'll be glad for an excuse to get me out of that." Actually, I was pretty sure we were going to discuss Nikaido again today. Either way, I really didn't want to be there.

Mai brightened up considerably. "All right. Well... we can walk to my house after school is out, then."

"Sure." I said. "But for now, let's go ahead and eat lunch. I'm starting to get hungry." We both got in line and got our lunches. Mai went off to sit with some of our classmates, while I went off to sit with the Guardians as I always did.

"Miyuki won't be at the Guardian Meeting today." Azami announced as soon as I sat down at the table.

"Why is that, Miyuki-chi?" Yaya asked.

_You couldn't have just let me say it, could you, Azami? _I thought to myself. "My friend wants me to come over after school. She seems like she really wants to show me something, and I don't want to make her wait." I explained.

"What about your theory about your teacher, Yamada-san?" Tadase asked. "We're talking about that today."

"You guys go ahead." I said. "You can talk without me there. Anyway, there have been so few X-eggs this week that we haven't really had any chance to catch him in the act." In fact, there had been no X-eggs at the school this week, and Amu hadn't told anyone about the night at the park. I think that there being no X-eggs for an entire week had to be a first since I'd come to Seiyo. Nikaido usually tried for at least one or two a week. I was starting to wonder if Nikaido was up to something. Or maybe he was just tired of getting eggs for himself, and was letting me do all the work. I hoped it was the latter theory, though instinct told me that Nikaido was going to try something sometime soon.

"Are you sure?" Amu asked. "We can just postpone talking about it."

"Don't worry - you can fill me in later. I don't mind. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk about it Monday, too, so we can all talk again then." I said. As an afterthought, I added, "Maybe I can even find out what happened to my friend that day Nikaido should have been helping her, and she ended up with an X-egg. I'd never bothered to ask."

"Great idea!" Kukai said enthusiastically. "We could all do some detective work! I could ask Imari what happened to her that day she had an X-egg, too."

I was about to ask who Imari was (Kukai talked like I should know her), but Yaya butted in. "Yes! Yaya will be the super-ultra-best detective ever!" I'd seen Yaya in detective mood before - I could just imagine her going around in her Sherlock Holmes outfit (complete with oversized magnifying glass), and asking people if they'd seen anything suspicious concerning Nikaido.

_I'm sure Nikaido would _never_ figure out what was going on with Yaya running around as a 'super-secret' detective. _I thought sarcastically.

* * *

Mai came up to me as soon as school was out. As I put my stuff away, she would alternate between looking down at the ground and glancing at me with anticipation. Though these signs were fairly subtle, they told me just how anxious or excited she was about whatever she wanted to show me. I really wanted to know what was going on, though I contained my interest and tried keep an appearance of calm inquisitiveness.

We started walking to the door (actually, Mai was practically already outside the classroom once I finished getting my stuff together), but of course it couldn't go that smoothly.

"Mizuki-san, could you stay here? It will only be a moment." Nikaido said. There was an almost unidentifiable undertone to his voice today, and I had to mentally keep myself from doing something stupid like flinching or acting anxious. As it was, a faint wave of goosebumps was making its way down my arms.

Mai looked disappointed, and I tried to reassure her. "Don't worry - it shouldn't take too long. Just wait out in the front entrance way of the school. I'll be there in a minute or two." Mai still didn't look too happy, but she knew that there was no way around it. She left, with the rest of the stragglers following soon after, realizing that Nikaido needed to talk to me. I caught Amu's eye as she left, and noticed that she seemed worried about me. I guessed she must have been really convinced about Nikaido being evil to be so concerned.

Once everyone left, I started to wonder why Nikaido had called me in. It was true that on Fridays I normally gave him all the X-eggs I'd collected, but after that massive batch after the Tuesday night park incident, I hadn't expected him to need any more today. He kept on entering grades into his computer for a couple minutes after everyone had left, purposefully making me wait. Finally, I couldn't take it any more.

"What is it you want?" I asked. "I gave you all the eggs you could ask for on Wednesday."

"And that was very nice of you to get me all those eggs, Mizuki-san." Nikaido said, stopping his work and smiling at me as he always did. "They'll be put to very good use, I assure you. I just wanted to ask you a couple of things, Mizuki-san."

"Like what?" I asked, sounding bolder than I felt.

"Like why the Guardians have suddenly taken such an interest in watching my actions whenever I am nearby. Surely you would have mentioned if they were on to me, wouldn't you, Mizuki-san?" Nikaido said. Even though he talked as if he was ignorant, I could see in his eyes that he knew I had ratted him out. But he didn't seem angry - in fact, I almost imagined that he was quite thoroughly amused.

I tried to shrug off the implied accusation. "They, um, mentioned it a couple of times. But I didn't think that they were serious about it."

"Is that so?" Nikaido said. "Well, I know you would never tell a lie to me, Mizuki-san, so I of course believe you." In other words, he meant that he saw through every lie I told. "So, one more thing, Mizuki-san. I need you to..." He trailed off, deliberately leaving me in suspense.

"What?" I said irritably. I didn't want to hear what he was going to say - I could tell that whatever it was, I wouldn't like it. But if he was going to tell me anything, I just wanted to get it over with.

"It should be quite simple, Mizuki-san. All I need you to do is take Tamiya Mai's egg."

I gaped, not comprehending this crazy thing he was saying. "W-what?" I asked in barely more than a whisper.

"If I do understand the situation, you'll be going to her house right after I'm gone talking to you, which should make it even easier to do. You see, her heart's egg is just about to be born. Her egg should appear tonight, in fact. Once it appears - and only once it appears, not any time before - I want you to turn the egg of the heart into an X-egg. You may not even need to chara-change to pull it off; you'll find it's quite easy enough to do when you know exactly what to say to crush a person's dreams."

"But... but... But why Mai?" I asked despairingly. This couldn't be happening.

"As I said, her egg is just about to be born, Mizuki-san. And it will be a strong one. That's why I need it - for a bit of an experiment I'm doing. Just remember that you must wait until the egg has actually appeared to change it into an X-egg, but you cannot wait so long that it hatches. " Nikaido said, as if he were simply explaining how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I stood in silence for a moment, my mind still trying to take in what Nikaido was telling me to do. "But Mai is my friend..." I said, partially to myself. "I can't make an X-egg out of her heart..."

"Oh? Mizuki-san, this isn't a request." Nikaido so. "It's an order. Are you going to defy the will of Easter? Just give up the power you've acquired?"

"Miyuki will do what she wants. She only takes orders if she wants to." Azami said. "Don't push your luck."

Nikaido simply smiled at Azami, then turned to me with a look that asked for my answer. I certainly wasn't enjoying the thought of giving up my power. I'll admit that I liked my power way too much to part with it readily. "But... Mai..." I trailed off again.

"You knew from the beginning that anyone who didn't work for Easter could never truly be your friend." Nikaido said. "You took the power, knowing that you'd some day be asked to betray the Guardians. Surely you aren't going to let a silly little girl - one who doesn't even have a chara yet, no less - get in the way of your power?"

I remained silent. I didn't know what to say. I mean, I _had _known from the beginning that betrayal would be necessary. I even let myself befriend the Guardians, knowing that I would be nothing more than a spy. But still, knowing was not the same thing as doing. Mai was my friend. Perhaps even my best friend. Could I really do this to her? But then again, could I give up my power for her? And if I gave up my power for her, then I would be going directly against my would be self. Who knew how many times Azami had said that a dragon didn't let anyone get in the way of what she wanted? How could I ever face my chara knowing that I had chosen 'a silly little girl' over my would-be self?

And another thought occurred to me: could Azami even continue existing if I denied her like that?

Nikaido left me to my thoughts for a few moments, but then went on talking. "I'll expect you back here sometime this evening, as soon as you've finished your job. You can go now, Mizuki-san. Have a nice day!" Despite what he was asking me to do, he was still smiling. And as I looked up into his eyes one last time before leaving, I could see a dark, malicious gleam.

* * *

Mai practically jumped when I entered the entryway of the school. If she noticed that I was more distracted than usual, she didn't mention it. For the first couple blocks, we walked in complete silence. Not even Azami talked. Mai was too caught up with whatever she was excited about to notice my glumness. My brain was in turmoil. What was I going to do? I didn't want to lose my power, but nor did I want to hurt Mai. Then again, maybe if I gave her a very small scratch, she would never know I betrayed her.... but the effect would be the same. It didn't help that the Darkness inside of me was rising as well, making me even more despondent. If it wasn't for Mai's presence, the X-energy probably would have overcome me right then and there.

I wanted Azami's advice, even though I knew what she would probably say. But when I looked over to get her to talk to me, I saw that she wouldn't say a word. She had a strange mix of emotions showing through a mask of indifference, and the one that surprised me the most was fear. That scared me more than anything so far. It took me a moment to realize just what she could be afraid of. Finally, it dawned on me: she knew that I had to make this decision on my own. She knew that whatever was going to happen, she couldn't interfere by making me chara-change or telling me what to do. And I think we both knew that the choice I would make could very well cause Azami to disappear. Forever. And she was scared, because no matter how great of a dragon she was, she could do absolutely nothing about it.

When we were a couple blocks away from Mai's house, she suddenly started to talk nonstop. She talked about anything - the lunch today, school, Utau, her dog. I took in very little of it. I still didn't know what I was going to do. Right as we reached her block, she finally seemed to notice my trouble.

"Miyuki, is something wrong?" She asked.

It took me just a moment too long to realize she had actually asked something that I would need to respond to. "Oh, I'm fine." I said half-heartedly.

Mai noticed that I really wasn't fine, and grew quieter. "I'm sorry, Miyuki. You're obviously not in the mood to come over. I'm such a horrible friend. I've been so involved with myself that I can't even recognize when something is bothering you... maybe I don't deserve you as a friend..."

This hurt me more deeply than anything else. If anything, _I _was the one not worthy of having _her _as a friend. Automatically, I corrected her. "That's completely wrong!" I said, with perhaps a bit more emphasis than necessary. "You're the greatest friend I've ever had."

Mai seemed to glow. "Really?"

I could have cried. Here I was, telling her how great a friend she was while deciding whether or not to rip her dreams aways from her. "Definitely."

"Well, you're the best friend I've ever had, too!" She said cheerfully. I smiled back at her, a smile full of affection and sorrow. But her excitement had once again blinded her. She only saw the smile, and not the complex emotions battling behind it.

"But anyway, we're here!" she continued. "Now I can finally show you what I've been working so hard on! You'll be the first to see it!" She unlocked the front door to her small, one-story house with a key from under the mat, then grabbed my hand and pulled me excitedly through the house to her bedroom. Her dog - a cute little Scottish terrier - greeted us as we charged through the house, though I noticed he kept his distance from Azami. He even seemed to be avoiding me, to some extent. In the back of my brain, I supposed that dogs have a much better intuition than humans. He could probably see what kind of friend I really was.

Mai closed the door to keep the dog from bothering us. Her small room reminded me of her in a lot of ways. It was simple, and yet cute at the same time. It was themed with a light, pastel shade of blue. She had her bed in one corner, a dresser and a work desk against another wall, and a small closet at one end of the room. It was all neat and tidy. She gestured for me to take a seat on her bed, which I did without another word. Mai went over to her desk, and took a stack of computer paper from one of the drawers. I figured it had to be at least thirty pages thick, and that was with what appeared to be twelve point font, single spaced type covering most of the pages. She handed it to me, and I looked at the cover page. In bold letters in the center of the page were the words, "A Quiet Dream." Beneath them, in small type, it said, "By Tamiya Mai."

"Is that what this is all about?" asked Azami out loud, sounding neither kind nor cruel. "A story?"

"Did you say something?" Mai asked curiously.

I was a bit surprised. "No, I didn't say anything." _I suppose that I shouldn't be that shocked. Nikaido said her egg was about to be born. No wonder she might be able to hear Azami._

"Will you go ahead and read the first chapter?" Mai asked. "I won't make you read it all now. I'll explain once you're done, and you can tell me how it is." She paused for a moment, then said more quietly. "I know it's probably horrible."

I didn't know how to respond, and so I simply started reading. From even the first paragraph, it was actually really good. Chapter one introduced a young girl named Anna, who at school was the model student - she got straight A's, she never missed a day, and she always got her work turned in on time. Everyone thought it was just a gift, though in reality it was only through the hours of studying that her parents insisted on that made her so good. But slowly, throughout the course of the first chapter (which was a very decent size), it was hinted to the reader that she was getting tired of her perfect grades. And then, at the very end of the chapter, her true desire was finally revealed: She didn't want to get a super-successful career like her parents wanted for her, where she could make lots of money. She was totally selfless - she wanted to volunteer, and to help those that could use her help, mainly out of pity for them. But the problem with that had been cunningly revealed earlier in the chapter. Not only did her parents want her to make a lot of money, but volunteering was something that would completely ruin a girl's social reputation at her school. To most people, it was simply a silly, stupid thing to do.

Occasionally throughout the reading I would find myself reading the same line over and over again. My mind was still hazy and confused, unable to understand what seemed to be my lose-lose situation. As for the story itself, other than a few grammar and spelling errors that I noticed, it seemed very well done. Though my somewhat ignoble views of the world made me scoff at the main character for her desperate desire to help others, I still found myself sympathizing with her in other ways. She was really quite a good character.

When I finally looked up, I realized that Mai had been watching me intently the entire time. She immediately started talking, so fast that it seemed as if she had been some giant balloon up to this point, slowly inflating until the time when she could let it all out. "I don't even remember how I got the idea for the story. It just came to me slowly, starting with a character that's introduced in the next chapter. She's a girl named Shizuko, but she's mute, and has to use sign language. Anna wants to help her, but as she starts to learn sign language from her new neighbor, she realizes that just because she's disabled, doesn't mean that she necessarily needs help. And even more than that, she starts to learn that if she wants to help people, it shouldn't be out of pity, and nor should she be ashamed of helping others, even if everyone at school thinks it's lame. In all truth..."

She finally took a pause. Azami whispered quickly into my ear. "Look up!" I turned my eyes slightly upward and nearly gasped. In front of Mai -though about a foot above her head so that she didn't see it - an egg was appearing.

Then she continued, and I quickly switched my glance back to her, while keeping an eye on the materializing egg. "In all truth, Shizuko was kind of based off of you. Throughout the book, Anna sees that though she originally talked to Shizuko for a stupid reason - that being pity - Shizuko has actually become the only one who truly accepted Anna for who she really is, as well as helped her grow out of her childish, submissive quietness and become a stronger, better person. And you've done the same for me. I don't think I ever could have written anything like this without you. And though the story was a lot of work, I think I've grown since starting it. All thanks to you, I found how much fun it is to write - to tell the story that I feel needs to be told, and now to share it." Now the egg was fully formed, floating in mid-air above Mai. It was a creamy white color, and on the front was the image of a plain, sky-blue pencil.

"So... how do you like it?" Mai asked after another short pause. "I know it's probably terrible... but just be honest."

My mind rapidly flashed from concept to concept - Easter, the story, Mai, my power, X-eggs, Heart's eggs, Azami, dreams. And to make it even more confusing, the Darkness seemed to be reaching a new peak, making me sad and angry and greedy and evil all at once. Somehow, I got the feeling that even if I didn't take Mai's egg, Azami would be fine. Somehow, I suddenly _knew _that whatever I said, Azami would stay. She would stay to help me grow into my would-be self, even if I wasn't even close to being a dragon now. And even though I was confused mentally and emotionally, that knowledge allowed one clear train of thought to emerge. I had to decide, now.

My best friend, Tamiya Mai.

Or the power of shattered dreams.

Suddenly, the memory of my first character-transformed flight came to mind. The freedom, the confidence, and most importantly, the power. I loved it. The Darkness flared up, a mix of sorrow and malice. And though Mai was my best friend, I thought that choosing her would be denying all that I wanted to be. I felt like crying, but my eyes remained oddly dry. Amazingly, my voice stayed steady as I gave my response.

"I'm sorry, Mai. But you're right. It's terrible." Her expectant look turned to one of disbelief, and yet I kept going. "The character is boring, and it's just corny. The grammar and spelling are horrible. I don't think I would ever like to read a book like this. Yet again, I'm sorry, but..." My throat closed partially in sorrow for a moment, my first sign of remorse. "....but you told me to tell the truth. And there it is."

Mai's look of disbelief slowly turned to despair. Exactly like the look she had had on that day months ago when her X-egg had been taken out by Nikaido. "You're right, Miyuki." She said, resigned. "I should have known. Telling stories... what good can it do? No one would have wanted to read my stories. If it's not true, then it's probably just a waste of time. It was just a silly dream... I see that now." Darkness spread quickly around the egg, engulfing the creamy white color with the all-so-familiar shade of black. And yet, unlike the other X-eggs I had seen, this one still had the image on it, though it had faded immensely. As of yet, I saw no X on the egg. I wondered if I would need to scratch her with my chara-change after all. For a moment, I hoped that maybe the egg would fight back and save my friend from hopelessness.

Then Mai whispered something, so softly that I barely heard it. "Thanks... thanks for letting me see the truth, Miyuki." The big white X appeared, completely obscuring the pencil except for perhaps the faintest of outlines still showing through the X. Mai sat down on the floor, and I grabbed the egg. I felt like I was moving in a dream. None of the feelings of sorrow from the Darkness seemed to connect. It was as if all of my emotions were muffled under layers of blankets, unable to make their way out. I felt numb. And I wasn't even crying.

"I'm going to leave." I said, still not quite feeling like this was really happening.

"Yeah..." Mai said, without looking up. "Thanks for coming..."

I left without another word. I walked back to the school, my mind seemingly devoid of any thoughts. I was almost a machine, simply going where my body told me. I walked in the front doors of the school, and through the dark, empty hallways. I felt nothing. Even when I made it to Nikaido's room and wordlessly handed the egg to him, I felt no fear. I walked home, changed and just sat in my room as the evening passed and night came. And still, no emotions and no thoughts dared to present themselves. It was only when I turned off the lights and was under the covers that the tears began to flow unheeded. I finally realized the full implications of what I had done. I had destroyed my best friend's hope. I had corrupted it and taken it from her. Maybe if I had recalled a memory of me with Mai rather than the memory of my first flight, then perhaps I would have chosen differently. Even if I did have that chance to redo today, I wasn't sure if I would change my actions or not. I had chosen to strive for my dragon-self - which was a good thing - but in the process I had hurt the greatest friend I could ever have.

From the depths of my mind, I remembered our conversation from earlier that day.

_"Do you think... well... I don't know, maybe you could..."_

_"Just go ahead and ask, Mai. Asking won't kill you - I promise."_

But I had broken that promise. Emotionally, my best friend was dead. And I was her murderer.

* * *

Sorry, this might be kinda long... I've got a lot to say. (EDIT - I changed the name of the mute character that Mai describes to 'Shizuko', after realizing by chance that the name I used before was the name of a main character in another fanfic, and I try not to use names that other people have used, if I can help it. Also, Shizuko means 'quiet child')

First of all, I've got to say that killing off Mai's hopes and dreams was among the toughest things I've ever written. Especially after that little speech about friendship that she gave. Also, just to let you know, this semi-directly is the first part of the series of events of the mini-climax. Just so you know. You probably won't see how until next chapter.

Next, I've got to say thank you to all the people who have reviewed recently! Of course, first thanks go to Kitty Obsessive Disorder, who has been a great reviewer throughout the story. And secondly to Suzuku Harukaze, who has almost been great at reviewing! Thanks to you both! And next to all the people who have just reviewed recently, making me extremely ecstatic! So thanks to Kimmytrainer (thanks for joining my proboards forum, too!), Sai and Shii .X-treme (I shall indeed be watching), and kyara yukai (I'm so flattered that you made an account just to review my story! And thanks for reading Amber Eyes as well~! Though since you reviewed chapter 12, I'm not sure if you'll see this until later). Really, having three new reviewers in just four days or so is a HUGE thing for me, and I thank you all!

Yet again, reminder to take the poll (the mini-end is nearing...)! And also, reminder to review! (as you can see, for all my talk about 'I'm writing this because I like to write it', I actually get really happy about reviews)

And a note to readers, since I don't think I've ever confirmed this or not - I update on weekends. Usually I update late Friday night, but it depends on how much I have done. Sometimes it's not until Sunday night. And except one time (which I warned the readers about), I think I've stayed true to that commitment of one per weekend, doing more whenever I have time.

Yet again, thanks! *sob*... though I'm usually a somewhat sadistic person, I actually miss Mai... Sorry, I guess I'm ending on a sad note...


	26. Hunger Pangs

The weekend passed slowly. I hardly left my room. I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I ate next to nothing. I tried once to start my homework, just to get my mind out of the pit of Darkness. But then I realized the only thing I had to do was math, and I couldn't bring myself to do that. Math was how I had met Mai. I still wasn't sure whether or not I regretted my decision. I was horribly sad for Mai, and yet I knew I would have hated myself if I had chosen differently. If I really regretted anything, it was that I had been put into that situation in the first place. I wondered what this would mean for how I felt about the Guardians. If I could betray Mai, then wouldn't it be just as easy to betray the Guardians? Then again, that was the thing - it hadn't been easy to betray Mai. Would I be able to do it again? So many questions, but no answers came to me.

Azami was angry at me for most of the weekend. She said that I shouldn't be sulking around. She wanted me to get up and do something. But no matter how many times she yelled at me or hit me with her tail, I just couldn't get motivated. Even if I had made the right choice, it had terrible consequences. No matter how hard I tried, Mai's face kept on appearing every time I closed my eyes. Sometimes it was the hopeful, expectant face right before I told her... told her the lie. But that was always quickly replaced with that look of total desolation. The image of complete hopelessness. Azami eventually gave up trying to convince me that a dragon wouldn't let another's misfortune get her down like this. She just flew out the window and left me alone for most of Sunday, allowing me to be alone in my sadness and hopefully get over it. But without her reassuring presence there, all I did was get worse.

And I was worried about tomorrow. It would be my first time seeing Mai since I took her dream away. What would she be like? Would the Guardians notice her behavior? Would they notice my own glumness, or would I be feeling better by then? I considered simply skipping school tomorrow, but that would look suspicious. I didn't want the Guardians finding out my secret now. Not now that I needed some friends more than ever.

When darkness finally fell that Sunday night, I gratefully gave in to sleep, too tired from the constant flow of emotions to keep my eyes open.

* * *

BEEPBEEP! BEEPBEEP! BEEPBEEP!

I sleepily hit the snooze button and got out of bed, stumbling through the semi-dark to turn on the light. For a moment, I looked around the room. It seemed like just another day, no different than the past couple of months. Yet I knew there was something that was still bothering me... I thought for a couple seconds, and then the guilt came flooding back as I remembered. I wanted to say that it had only been a dream, and that I could forget all about it now and get to school. I wanted to get back in bed, maybe get my mom to call in to the school and say I was sick. But I was already up, and even though I was still being bothered by my conscience (something that no self-respecting dragon should have, as Azami had reminded me last night), it was to a much lesser extent. Lessened even more by the fact that, even if it meant facing Mai and the Guardians, I had to get out of my room for a while. I had heard of cabin fever before, and after almost forty-eight straight hours in my bedroom, I now believed that it was definitely _not _just an exaggeration.

I got ready slowly, occasionally reaching up to touch my dragon pendant for strength. It was something that was always there, and no matter what happened, it was the one thing that remained the same in my life. Azami wasn't talking to me. I guessed she was really angry about my persisting mood. But I didn't care. I thought that I would be late to school, but then I looked at my alarm. Apparently, I had accidentally messed up the alarm time when I had set it last night. I had gotten up an entire hour early. But I didn't even have the energy to care. As soon as I was ready, I dragged myself out of the house, and slowly trudged to school. I skipped breakfast - I had very little appetite, as had been the case all weekend.

Despite my slow, depressed pace, I was one of the first people to make it to class. Nikaido watched me as I walked in, but I ignored him and simply looked at the ground. Then I sat down in my desk, set my head in my arms, and closed my eyes. I wasn't sleeping - I simply didn't have the energy to do anything else. From across the room, I heard a couple of boys whispering.

"Is she asleep?"

"I think so."

"What's up with Yamada-san?"

"I dunno. She's normally not here this early. But she's normally doodling or something if she doesn't have anything to do."

"Did you see how she walked in here? She looked kinda..."

"Kinda what?"

"I dunno. Out of it, I guess. Maybe sad."

"Maybe she forgot to do her homework."

"Or maybe she lost to the tiger!"

"Don't be stupid! She'd be dead if she lost to a tiger."

Then the door opened, and I looked up to see if it was Mai. It wasn't. Though the boys stopped talking as soon as they saw I was still awake, it had been an informative conversation for me. They had answered one of my questions. If some guys that I hardly know can tell I'm depressed, then the Guardians would definitely notice. And I doubted they would accept a mood like this as simple sleepiness. But what could I tell them? I wouldn't be able to lie right now. Azami didn't seem like she would help me anytime soon. I had no idea what to do, and the Darkness (or maybe my weakness from not eating all weekend) was making my brain feel fuzzy and my thoughts be discontinuous.

About ten minutes before school started, and I looked up as someone else entered the room: Tamiya Mai. For a couple seconds, I thought all would be fine - it had all just been a bad dream, and Mai was completely alright. But then I really looked at her - her posture, her demeanor, the way she walked to her desk - and I realized that it was just a false hope. She noticed that I was looking her direction, and gave a sort of half-smile before sitting down. But there was no real happiness behind it. Worse still, I had looked right into her eyes, and her glazed look told all. She simply didn't care anymore. Things would never be the same. Mai could never again be the girl she once was.

I kept my head up now. Somehow, just seeing Mai gave me a sort of calm acceptance about the matter. The sorrow was still there, but it seemed distant. Like the disbelief in the hours after I actually took Mai's egg. I imagined briefly that I must look a lot like Mai right now - my eyes staring off into the distance, looking without really seeing. But now that I'd seen Mai, the dread of the unknown - not knowing what she would be like - was gone. I knew there was nothing I could do about it now. All that was left was a sort of hole in myself, an emptiness that not even the Darkness dared to intrude upon.

With just about a minute before the bell left, Amu finally made it in. She looked out of breath, like she had run to get here. It seemed like this was the case most mornings for her; she wasn't the most organized of people. Seeing that she was on time, she slowed down and made her way to her desk. As she sat down, she asked, "How was your weekend, Miyuki?"

I smiled, but without much feeling. "It was fine." I said. As was to be expected, Amu noticed that something wasn't right immediately.

"Hm? What's wrong, Miyuki? Are you feeling all right?" Amu asked.

I was about to answer that I was feeling fine (which was an outright lie), but purposefully or not, Nikaido saved me.

"All right, the bell is about to ring. Get back in your seats, everyone! I know it's the last week before Winter break-" A couple of cheers sounded, "-so we'll all need to learn as much as we can before then!" some people groaned, but everyone went back to their seats. Amu gave me one last concerned glance before turning her attention back to classwork. But her charas looked like they were keeping an eye on me throughout the morning. I wondered what they thought had happened to me. Then again, in the mood I was in, I really didn't care.

I tried to avoid Amu and the rest of the Guardians for as long as possible. At lunch, I went to the bathroom before getting in line, forcing Amu to go on ahead of me. I didn't exactly want to talk as we waited to get lunch. But I knew I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. Once I figured the lunch line would be all but gone, I made my way out of the bathroom, grabbed a tray, and grabbed a lunch. I could feel that I was kind of weak right now, and yet I still didn't think I could bring myself to eat something. I tried to cheer up as I approached the table, but I knew it was a lame attempt.

"Hello, everyone." I said as I sat down. Once again, I was trying to be cheerful, but I could tell from my tone of voice that such an attempt had resulted in failure.

"What happened, Miyuki?" Amu asked again. All of the others seemed to be letting her do the talking - I got the feeling that she had already told them about my mood.

"Really - I'm fine." I insisted. I noticed that I had started pushing my food randomly around the plate, and put my fork down.

"Miyuki-chi! We can all tell that something is wrong!" Yaya said loudly. "Just tell us! Yaya wants Miyuki-chi to be happy again!"

"We can't help if we don't know what's bothering you." Amu said.

I paused for a minute, and looked down at my plate. They were almost breaking through the emptiness, and once that was gone, the tears might come back. I didn't want to start crying here. But what could I say?

"If you don't want to say what's wrong, then we can't make you, Miyuki-chan." said Nadeshiko. "But we want to help, if we can. And, as Amu-chan said, we can't do that if you won't let us know what the problem is."

I looked up again. All of the Guardians were staring at me, almost identical looks of worry showing on each of their faces. Even the normally upbeat Kukai was solemn, and Yaya was being unusually quiet. They were all such loyal friends, and yet... and yet what if I was forced to take their dreams someday, just like I did to Mai? I quickly diverted my mind from that path - it was something that I didn't want to think about yet. But these were my friends, and they were worried about me; I at least had to tell them something.

"D-do you mind if I tell you guys later, at the garden?" I asked quietly, unable to muster up a stronger voice. "I don't really want to talk about it here."

Tadase nodded. "All right, you can tell us later. We can wait, Yamada-san." he said kindly.

Conversation was a bit awkward after that. They tried to cheer me up by talking about school and such as they normally did, but I couldn't really get in to the mood to talk. I more or less just sat in my seat, picking at my food and occasionally eating a bite or two. Azami was still avoiding me, choosing to talk with the other charas and positioning herself as far away from me as possible.

The rest of the day passed surprisingly quickly, due to the daze I was in. I tried not to look over at Mai, but every now and then I couldn't help it. And every time, she was mindlessly listening to the lesson, trying to learn but not really caring. Each time, I quickly looked away.

Eventually, the bell dismissing us rang, but I hardly even noticed it. It was only when Amu came up to my desk that I looked up and realized the time. I had been partially asleep, with my eyes half-closed. Amu looked more concerned than ever, but she tried to hide it with a friendly smile. I got up out of my desk without a word. But then, my least favorite voice in the world called out from the front of the room.

"Mizuki-san, I'll need you to stay behind a moment again."

I sat back down. Amu looked at me, pure worry breaking through what was left of her 'cool and spicy' attitude. "Will you be okay?" She asked.

"Y-yeah."

"Are you sure, desu~?" asked Su. I think she had noticed my lack of appetite at lunch, and her natural caring instinct was kicking in.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I said, without much conviction. Really, I wasn't sure. I doubted anything could be worse than taking Mai's egg, though I knew Nikaido would always be able to think of some other way to torment me. It didn't help that I really wasn't feeling my strongest right now - my self-induced fast wasn't exactly the healthiest thing I could do for my body.

"If you're sure..." Amu said. "I'll wait at the top of the stairs. If you need anything, just yell and I should be able to hear. I-" She started to say something, but then broke off, apparently not wanting to finish. Instead, she waved goodbye and left. Everyone else was already gone, and so I was once again left alone with Nikaido.

I remained in my desk. I didn't want to get up. For once, it was Nikaido that came to me. He quietly strode up to my desk and stood just a bit behind me. I just kept on staring straight ahead. The Darkness inside me was rising up noticeably for the first time since Friday night. And the closer Nikaido was, the stronger it got.

"So, Mizuki-san, how did it feel to take away your friend's dream?"

I didn't reply, but the Darkness spiked when Nikaido talked.

"Are you sure you did the right thing?"

I still didn't reply.

"You know, Mizuki-san, I would think that Mai was one of the most caring girls in this class. She would never do anything to hurt anybody. Don't you think so?"

The Darkness rose again. I felt lightheaded.

"And you took away all joy in her life, right before it hatched."

The Darkness felt like it was suffocating me. I couldn't focus on anything but what Nikaido was saying. _I did it. I hurt Mai. She never did anything to me, and I practically killed her. I'm a horrible person. I've been wrong all along. I've been tricking and hurting the first friends I've ever had. I can't do anything to help others - I only destroy. I must be worthless. _My eyesight seemed to be flickering now. My ears were ringing, and I felt unbelievably cold. The Darkness was overtaking me.

_I'm usele-_

"Miyuki!" Azami suddenly yelled at me, temporarily disrupting my train of thought. It was the first time she had spoken all day. I looked over at her. The top and bottom part of her egg was above and below her, slowly coming together. I noticed that the flame pattern on the egg seemed... dimmer, somehow. Maybe it was just my eyes.

"Miyuki!" She cried out once more before the two halves closed, trapping her within the egg.

_Azami... _

"No." I said quietly, my voice almost failing on me.

"What was that, Mizuki-san?" asked Nikaido.

"No. I won't regret what I did. Mai was my friend, and I'll miss her, but I made my decision. She can just... just..." I trailed off. I still cared about Mai too much to finish the sentence. But the Darkness was fading, and I noticed the egg turn back to its original color before the two halves flew apart, revealing Azami. She looked a bit angry, but mostly happy at being out of the egg. She flew to my shoulder, and her presence reassured me.

"I am a dragon, after all." I said. Though the Darkness was all but gone now, I still felt very light-headed and I could see that my hands were shaking.

If Nikaido was disappointed that whatever he had just tried to do had failed, he didn't show it. "Well, Mizuki-san, isn't that great news! Because I've got another job for you to do."

My heart seemed to drop right into my shoes.

"You see, poor Tamiya-san's egg, though powerful and unhatched, didn't work for my experiment. I did some calculations, and I believe that what I need is a chara with the ability to chara-nari." I felt Azami stiffen. "No, of course I wouldn't think of separating you two. But I do need a powerful chara from _someone._.."

I didn't respond, but I dreaded where he was going with this. It was taking all the energy I had just to keep from collapsing. I guessed that spikes in X-energy added on to me already being weak from not eating was really affecting me in a bad way (In other words, Darkness + Starving = Me not happy). Then add Nikaido into the equation... it would be the understatement of the year to say I wasn't feeling very good.

"You want her to take one of Amu's charas?" asked Azami challengingly. She really wasn't liking Nikaido after being forced into her egg a few minutes ago.

"Actually, getting all three would be a much better idea." Nikaido said happily. "Just do it whenever the opportunity presents itself, though I would appreciate if it was sooner rather than later, Mizuki-san."

My head felt like was spinning. "But... how could I do it? I wouldn't be able to get them without Amu knowing. And wouldn't it be better if you got the eggs from her?" I was still talking quietly, but even that little loss of air was giving me trouble. "I'm sure you can sneak them from her. Then, even if they find out, you can have me as a backup or something." I had to think of some excuse; I didn't want to have to make a decision like the one from Friday.

"That's true..." Nikaido acted like he was thinking about it. "But no - our charade has gone on long enough. Don't you think so, Mizuki-san? Plus, if my plan works, then we'll finally have the embryo and it will no longer matter if the Guardians figure out that you've been working for Easter this whole time."

My mind tried to work as fast as possible to try and find a way out of this, but it was too much. My eyes closed and I started to fall out of the desk. Then a surge of power - the familiar, chara-change power - strengthened me. I managed to grab onto the desk and catch myself. Then, with new-found confidence surging through me, I stood up and faced Nikaido.

"No. Do it yourself. But I won't do it. Not now. I'm sick of you ordering me around. I'll fight the Guardians when I have to, but not now. Kidnapping charas is beneath me." I said.

"Hmm... Do you know what Easter will do if you break your contract, Mizuki-san?"

My breath caught in fear for a second, but the chara-change brushed it aside. "No, I don't know, and I don't care. But out of curiosity, would you care to enlighten me?"

"No, no, that's all right, Mizuki-san. We don't need to think about that. I wouldn't want Easter getting angry at you over something silly like this - I wouldn't want you hurt just because I was being a tad overly-bossy." Nikaido said, acting as if he were some generous babysitter promising that he wouldn't tell a child's parents about some silly misbehavior. "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt for me to get the little charas myself. But I'll be expecting your help if Amu or the Guardians were to get... out of hand. All right, Mizuki-san?"

"Fine." I said, still in my chara-change. "And my name is Miyuki, not Mizuki." With that, I grabbed my bad, stormed out of the room, and shut the door behind me. Hard. Then I felt my strength drain away as the chara-change stopped, and I feel to my knees.

"Miyuki!" I looked to my left and saw Amu rush down the hallway. She crouched by me. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Uh.. yeah. I'm okay." I said, though I obviously wasn't. "I think I just need something to eat..." My voice trailed off.

"Can you walk to the garden all right? Or should I go get Kukai to help?" Amu asked. Even when I was so weak, the thought of Kukai helping made me blush.

"No, no." I turned my head slightly to look at Azami. "Do you think we could chara-change... just until I get to the garden..."

"It might make you even worse when the chara-change ends." Azami warned.

"That's... fine." I said, looking down at the floor and trying to get my vision back to normal. I just had to get away from Nikaido, back to somewhere that was at least somewhat private.

"All right then." Azami replied. "Chara-change!" My vision cleared and the ringing in my ears stopped as comforting strength flowed back into me. I got up slowly - no matter my chara-change, I was still weak from not eating. Then we walked to the Royal Garden, Amu right next to me, ready to help if I needed it. I felt kind of silly, chara-changing just to walk. Still, I was worried that the change might fade before we got there.

Amu opened the door to the greenhouse for me, then closed it behind us. The others were all waiting at the table. My chara-change faded, but I managed to remain standing for the moment being.

"Where were you guys?" asked Kukai. "We were really starting to worry a bit."

"Sorry, Nikaido needed to talk to Miyuki about something." Amu explained. "By the way, are you all right now, Miyuki?"

I took a breath to respond, but then found that I couldn't. The ground seemed to be slowly tilting beneath me, and I could only see a very small area right in front of me.

"Miyuki-chan?" I heard Nadeshiko say from the Guardians table. She sounded concerned. I tried to look up towards her to reassure her, but that was a mistake. I tottered back and forth for a couple seconds, and then my legs gave way beneath me as I passed out for a second. Amu managed to catch me and keep me from falling too hard. She let me down as gently as possible until I was sitting on the ground with my back against the closed greenhouse door. But as soon as I was on the ground I felt at least a bit better, and I managed to open my eyes. The rest of the Guardians hurried over, asking what happened and if I was all right.

Nadeshiko was the one who took charge. "Yaya, go get Miyuki-chan a glass of water."

"Roger!" Yaya said before dashing off to the table to get the water.

"Oh, Nadeshiko, I think she said she needed something to eat earlier." Amu added.

"All right, Amu-chan. Would you go get the plate of brownies from the table, then?" Nadeshiko said.

Amu did so, and arrived back as Yaya came with the water. By now, I was slightly better. I took the cup from her and took a few cautious sips. And though I really wasn't in the mood to eat anything right now, I knew that I had to eat something or I'd collapse again. I ate the brownie slowly while the others asked Amu what had happened. Of course, she really didn't know, so they were all left in suspense until they could ask me.

Once I finished my brownie, Nadeshiko asked, "Are you feeling better now?"

The brownie actually was helping, and it made me realize just how hungry I was. "Better, but still not great." I admitted.

Nadeshiko turned to Kukai. "Do you think you could help her get to the table, so she can sit in an actual chair?"

I tried to protest, but Kukai had my arm around his shoulders and was pulling me up easily before I could say a word. I did my best to walk as much as I could by myself, but most of my weight was carried by Kukai. I blushed a bit, which must have showed up vividly on my currently pale face. He helped me down into my chair, then went back to his own seat. Everyone else sat down, then looked expectantly at me.

"Can you tell us what happened, Yamada-san? Or if you can't, then could Azami?" Tadase asked. Azami looked at me, waiting to see if I wanted to talk or if I needed her to.

I nodded in response to Tadase, and began. "Well, it started Friday night." My voice was still a bit shaky, but getting better. "My friend wanted to show me something, so I went over to her house. She had written a story - I read the first chapter, and it was actually really good. She was really excited about it." Tears started to trickle out of my eyes. This was the first time I'd had to retell it. But I couldn't say the next part without lying about it, and I didn't think I could think of a convincing lie at the moment. I looked down at the ground, hoping Azami would get the idea.

She did. "We left after a while, and we were almost half way back when Miyuki realized she'd left her school bag at Mai's hosue." Azami said. "We went back and knocked on the door, and Mai answered, but...." Azami purposefully trailed off. "She was different. She had lost all her excitement from before. Miyuki was confused, and she was disturbed by how little interest Mai had in anything. Mai led us up to her room, Miyuki grabbed her bookbag, but in the process she saw that Mai's story was in the trash. Miyuki asked what had happened, and-"

"She said it was useless, and that writing was a waste of time. And that it was stupid for her to tell silly stories." I finished, unable to contain my memories. "And that look in her eyes..." I looked up from the ground. "She'd lost the egg of her heart. I'm sure of it. She isn't the same person. She's not happy anymore. She's-" I looked back down as more tears streamed down my face. Even though I wasn't telling the Guardians the truth, my sadness was real. As I had said to Nikaido earlier, I realized that I really didn't regret my actions. But my friend was gone, and I still missed her.

All of the Guardians tensed when I told them that the egg of her heart was gone. "Was it turned into an X-egg, Yamada-san?" Tadase asked.

I think Azami realized I was having some trouble lying, so she took over again. "I didn't feel anything, but we think so. Miyuki thinks she wouldn't have given up on her dream unless it was forced out." My tears came a little harder at this, but I stayed silent.

"So what happened today?" Amu asked. "Why did you pass out?"

"I-I haven't eaten much all weekend." I said, trying to wipe the tears from my face with the back of my sleeve. "I guess I just didn't have the energy anymore."

"Nothing _all weekend_, Miyuki-chi?" Yaya asked, amazed. "Not even a single cookie?"

I smiled a bit at this, and shook my head. Suddenly, I realized just how weak I was being. Breaking out crying in front of the Guardians - I mean, really. None of them had ever done this, at least as long as I'd been here. "I'm sorry, you guys, for being so... so..."

"What are you talking about, Miyuki?" asked Kukai, being cheerful. "We're your friends. It's not a problem." That made the guilt-o-meter go into the red. Here I was, lying to them like it was going out of style, and there everyone else was, trying their best to help me out. How low could I go?

And now I felt obligated to tell them something - I had to at least warn Amu about Nikaido's plans. "There's another thing you guys should know... it was the reason I was so upset when I came out of Nikaido's room. I mean, he helped me with my advanced math as usual, but also... he also seemed to be hinting something. He got off on another subject - which isn't that uncommon. He acts kind of scatterbrained. But he started talking about how he had heard that there was a thief around the school, and how the students should remember to keep a good eye on their stuff." I had apparently regained my ability to lie - mainly because this was a helpful lie, but also because I was now recovering from talking about Mai.

"I haven't heard about any thief." Tadase said. "Why would your teacher make up something like that?"

"Yeah, maybe it's kind of odd, but I don't classify that as villain-worthy." Kukai said.

"Well, it wasn't that in itself that bothered me." I said, thinking quickly. "But then he mentioned you, Amu, and said that you seemed a bit forgetful sometimes about your stuff."

"I am not forgetful!" Amu said, turning red.

"Yes you are, Amu-chan!" Ran said.

"You almost forgot your science book this morning. Remember?" Miki said.

"Maybe tomorrow I'll just 'forget' you guys at home." Amu retorted.

I did not want Amu forgetting her charas _anywhere_, though perhaps they would be safer at her house. "You're missing the point, Amu. Maybe it's just because I'm paranoid, or because I've been so upset lately, but it seemed like he was suggesting that _you _would be the one to lose something."

"But what would anyone want from me?" asked Amu.

"What about your Humpty Lock, Amu-chan?" suggested Nadeshiko. "If your teacher really works for Easter, then perhaps he would want to study it or use it in some way." _Close, but worse than that, _I thought.

"That's a possibility." Tadase said. "Did anyone else find out anything over the weekend about Nikaido?"

"I ran into Imari." Kukai said. "She said that she didn't remember seeing Nikaido around, but then again, she didn't remember a lot from her incident. She was the one with the X-egg that day the week Miyuki came. When Azami scratched you. Remember?" Of course, how could I forget that? It occurred to me that that incident was the first of multiple times I've passed out or nearly passed out since coming to Seiyo. I guess having little magical floating people hanging around will cause stuff like that to happen every now and again.

"I still can't believe that your teacher is responsible for all the X-eggs, but we will continue to keep our eyes open." Tadase said.

"What about Miyuki-chi's friend?" Yaya asked. "Yaya wants to help her!"

"I want to help Tamiya-san, too." Amu said. "But I don't think there's much we can do if her egg really is gone. If we knew where it was, I could cleanse it, but..." She trailed off, looking regretful that she couldn't be of more help.

"It's okay. I understand." I said. Then that made me think - what if we _could_ get a hold of her egg? Then Amu could cleanse it, and Mai would go back to normal. Maybe what I had done wasn't irreversible, after all. I brightened up considerably. There was still hope.

I grabbed a couple more brownies as we adjourned the Guardian meeting for the day. They were really helping. I felt much better now, and walking wasn't a problem anymore. The brownies, coupled with my new-found hope for Mai, were giving me a significant boost. I called my mom and had her come pick me up, though - I thought I would be fine walking, but the others didn't like the idea.

For a while after getting home that evening, I was downright happy. Well... maybe not happy, but my mood was greatly improved. Azami started on a rant about how pitiful my performance today had been. ("Dragons don't cry - it's a sign of weakness.... And you couldn't even lie! How weak-minded...." etc., etc.) All in all, everything seemed back to normal. By unspoken consent, neither of us mentioned what almost happened to Azami when Nikaido had first started talking to me. Neither of us wanted to think about it.

But then, slowly, I started to go downhill again. As much as I wanted to hope that Nikaido would be unable to snag Amu's charas, I knew that he would. He was the kind of person that didn't stop until he got what he wanted. And would I really be able to get Mai's egg back? He said he had been experimenting - what if it had been completely altered? Or destroyed?

Azami noticed me worrying again. "Don't start that again! I don't know what you're overly-obsessing over now, but just forget about it. We'll deal with it when it happens. How many times do I have to tell you?"

I smiled at this. "I don't think you _have_ to tell me at all. You just like nagging me all the time about something or other, and this happens to be your favorite subject."

I got a good whack on the head for that. "_You _just don't learn your lesson very well, and so I have to keep reminding you. You should listen to your would-be self more."

"What if I don't _want_ to listen to my would-be self?" I countered.

"Then you've apparently learned one lesson and not the others." Azami said, amused at my answer. I started getting ready for bed soon after that, and I decided that Azami was right. At the very least, as long as I had her with me, then I could deal with whatever would happen. Maybe it wouldn't be pleasant, but I would get through. I doubted I could totally shun my worries. But if it could make me more like Azami, then I would at least give it another try.

* * *

Last chapter was the first time I got five reviews! And, though perhaps that seems kind of lame, I was quite happy! Thanks!

Please keep on reviewing, and for anyone who enjoys reading my story enough to make it to this chapter, please at least vote in my poll! Also, just an FYI - I'm going to be quite busy with school stuff for the next couple of weeks, and there is a chance that I won't be able to update as according to my usual weekly policy. I will let you know if this happens, though I'm hoping it won't.

As always, thanks for reading!


	27. Gone

I tried to keep calm throughout the rest of the week, though I'll admit I kept my eyes peeled whenever Nikaido was anywhere near Amu. I was almost sure it would happen on Tuesday, but that day came and went without any problems. That made me even more paranoid by Wednesday. I even asked Tadase if we could look at Nikaido's papers, just to make sure he was the real deal. We did, but by appearances, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I knew that if we looked into his sources and references more, we would probably expose him for what he really was. But that could potentially seem suspicious when I just happened to be right on my hunch, and I was still worried that Nikaido would find out and do something to me if I started leading the Guardians too directly to him. By Thursday, I was starting to calm down a bit, mainly because I was tired of being tense all the time just for the sake of Amu. And by the time Friday morning came around, I had convinced myself that Nikaido was just going to wait to steal Amu's charas during Winter break, in which case I could do nothing to attempt to prevent it.

Mai remained more or less unresponsive throughout the week. She still talked when directly spoken to, but other than that, she seemed to be in a daze all the time. I tried a couple of times to get her to talk with me like we used to, but it wasn't any use. I began to avoid her all together. It hurt too much to be with her. I no longer mourned for her - not on the outside, at least. Though there was still some hope for perhaps saving her egg, it was so small that I didn't act on it. An effort like that seemed like it would be futile, and stupid to even try. In general, I tried not to think about it too much; what was done was done, and as I saw it, there was nothing I could do about it, no matter how saddening the current situation was.

Despite this depressing and somewhat precarious state of affairs, it was now Friday and even I had been drawn into the excitement of the imminent break from school. Nikaido didn't even bother trying to keep us under control. The only real work we did was reciting our poems, which was finished with before lunch. I recited _Caged Bird_ flawlessly, though I did so with a bad taste in my mouth; I still had a bad feeling about it. The rest of the day, he basically let us goof off. This surprised me. Especially on a day like today, he would normally make us all calm down and ruin our fun. What made me even more suspicious was that, throughout all of our goofing-off, he worked intently on his laptop. The back of the laptop was facing the class, and there was no way I could have even caught a glimpse of what he was doing without him knowing.

My worries about that faded quickly, though. I mean, it was almost Winter break, and I was quickly finding out that when I wanted to be distracted, it wasn't too terribly hard to forget about something unpleasant.

As soon as the final bell rang, everyone (even Amu and I) hurried out of the classroom, down the stairs, and out of the school. Even the chilly weather couldn't dampen out spirits. Amu and I started heading to the Royal Garden, though not because there was any actual work to do; we were planning our Christmas party: deciding what time to arrive at the garden on the twenty-fifth, who would bring what, etc.

"Where's Azami?" asked Miki suddenly when we were just a few steps away from the greenhouse doors.

I looked around, realizing that Miki was right: Azami was nowhere to be seen. I shook my head in an exasperated manner. "Who knows where she went? Anyway, I'll go see if I can figure out where she went really quick; you guys go ahead."

"Are you sure, Miyuki? We can help look, too." Amu offered.

"I'm betting she just got hit by someone during the mob dash down the stairs and out of the school." I replied. "It shouldn't be too hard to figure out where she went." I started heading back towards the school, while Amu kept on going to the garden. I was almost to the school when someone else came out the main doors, giving Azami the opportunity to fly out. She spotted me and flew over, choosing to float by my head rather than sit on my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and turned around, heading back towards the Royal Garden. "So where were you?"

"Nowhere." Azami replied, sounding completely innocent. But she was never innocent, and so her tone of voice just made me even more curious.

"Nowhere, huh?" I asked. "I'm pretty sure you had to be _somewhere_."

"Well, perhaps I was. Perhaps I wasn't." Azami said.

"Oh, come on. Just tell me." I said. I was getting more and more curious by the second.

"You'll find out later." Azami replied. Now, an answer like that made me suspect some sort of practical joke, or some other thing to be wary of. I could tell that, whatever she had been doing, she wasn't about to tell me. She continued. "Anyway, do you think you could leave the door to the garden open a bit when we go in?"

"Why?"

"I was going to see if the other charas wanted to play hide 'n seek, since this is the last time we'll see each other for a while." Azami answered.

"We'll see each other again in, like, six days. Besides, why can't you just play in the greenhouse?"

"We _always _play in the greenhouse. We all know the good hiding spots."

I suspected alternate motives behind Azami's request, but nonetheless left the door opened slightly when I went in. The rest of the Guardians were already there, unsurprising due to the fact that Azami had made me somewhat late.

"Sorry, Azami managed to get stuck in the school or something. Anyway, what did I miss?" I said, setting my bag down and taking a seat at the table.

"We were just talking about when we would meet here, Yamada-san." Tadase answered. "How does six in the evening sound?"

"I doubt my parents have any plans for us all to do something, so any time works for me." I replied. I noticed that Azami had gathered all the other charas a ways a way from our conversation, and wondered for a moment if she really _did _just want to play hide 'n seek.

"That's good." Tadase said, reminding me that I was currently supposed to be paying attention to the other guardians, not the charas. Addressing everyone at the table, Tadase went on. "So who's going to bring food and refreshments?"

* * *

"So, who wants to play a game before we leave for break?" Azami asked as soon as she had gathered the rest of the charas as best she could. Of course, I couldn't hear any of this - I was too preoccupied with helping to determine who was bringing cookies.

"Oh, yeah! Let's play something!" Ran agreed.

"No, commoners! We must lay out our plan of action for finding the embryo!" Kiseki ordered. "This break will give us a chance to double our efforts in our search! We cannot let this chance go to waste!"

Everyone ignored him, and Azami continued. "I was thinking we could play hide 'n seek."

"But we all know where the hiding places are, desu~" Su said.

"That does kind of ruin the fun." Miki agreed.

"I don't care what we do, as long as we do _something_." Daichi said.

Azami grinned. "Don't worry - I was thinking ahead. I got Miyuki to leave the door open so we could play outside. And as soon as their little meeting thing is over, anyone who hasn't been found wins! I'll even be it, if no one wants to volunteer."

"Sounds like fun!" Ran said. "Let's go!" She started to rush towards the door.

"Wait, wait - one more thing." Azami said. Ran stopped and floated back. "Let's make sure we stay around the school. I don't want to be searching forever."

"Don't you think we should tell Amu and everyone that we're leaving?" asked Miki, the voice of reason as always.

"Yeah, yeah!" Ran agreed. "Amu-chan!"

The rest of the Guardians and I all stopped our conversation as Ran called out and all the charas flew over. We had just finished deciding that we would all bring some treats, except for Kukai, who would bring some pop and such for refreshments.

"We're all going to play hide 'n seek outside!" Ran exclaimed.

I looked suspiciously at Azami, who pretended not to notice me. I knew her well enough by now to tell that something was going on. I simply couldn't figure out what.

"Oh?" Amu blinked, as if taking that information in. "That's fine with me."

Everyone else agreed that it was fine. "Have fun, everyone. Just be careful." Nadeshiko said, exchanging a meaningful glance with Temari as she did so. But I didn't notice - I was still attempting to think of what Azami might be planning.

"Don't worry - we will!" Azami said, a little bit too enthusiastically. I groaned as it finally hit me - I had been expecting a prank from Azami's secretive behavior earlier. At this point, I could only hope that whatever it was, it wouldn't go too overboard. All the charas left, and my mind wondered about the prank possibilities throughout the rest of the time our conversation went on in the Royal Garden.

* * *

"All right, I'll start it off!" Azami said. "I'm only counting to fifty, so you'd all better hurry! One... two..." The other charas wasted no time, each darting off in different directions. Though she was still covering her eyes, Azami grinned evilly. As she reached twenty, she peeked out and looked off to her left, into the leafless trees off to one side of the path. Despite the cold weather, someone was standing there, mostly concealed behind the trunk of one of the trees. Someone with orange hair, yellowish eyes, and (since there were no students around by this time on a cold Friday) an evil grin that he did not even attempt to conceal. Azami opened and closed her wings a few times, as was their agreed upon signal, and Nikaido seemed to melt away into the shadows as he left.

Throughout this, Azami never stopped counting. As soon as she reached fifty, she shouted "Ready or not, here I come!" and then spread her wings and flew off, deciding to let Nikaido do his business as she did her job of making it seem like she actually wanted to play Hide 'n Seek.

Nikaido, for his part, started out for who he thought would be the simplest to capture: Su. He had watched as she had flown off down the path a little ways before her tiny body faded out of sight. But Nikaido had a good intuition for almost anything you could think of, and especially anything having to do with Guardian Characters. In fact, he had a pretty good guess of where all those annoying little charas had hidden, based on the direction each had flown. None of the other charas had gone in the same direction as Su, and so he didn't even need to worry about concealing himself.

Just as he had the ability to sense and rip out wavering eggs of the heart, Nikaido could also detect where already hatched shugo charas were, to some extent. And so, once he felt the presence of one (presumably Su) nearby, he began to stroll along, acting like he was admiring the bare trees and bushes along the path. He took on his normal teacher demeanor - kind smile, klutzy walk, etc. Then, from the side of the path ahead of him, he heard a small voice.

"Hmm? It's Nikaido-sensei. I wonder what he's doing here, desu~" Su thought aloud, apparently thinking that he couldn't hear her. Of course, there was no way she would be able to know - Nikaido ignored all the charas so well at school that none of the Guardians really thought that he could see them, even if he _was _evil. Su really wasn't concealed that well - she was sitting at the base on a large tree, with some leaves drawn up around her to help conceal her noticeable green outfit. She was watching Nikaido with curiosity, wondering what he might possibly be doing.

Suddenly, Nikaido tripped - or, at least, he pretended to. He landed right in front of Su and, before she could do anything, he reached out his hand and grabbed her, dropping all pretenses of innocence.

"Well, one down, two to go." He said as got up from the ground, keeping a firm grip on the helpless chara.

"Nikaido-sensei, please let me down, desu~!" Su said as she wiggled, trying to get free.

Nikaido shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. You really shouldn't ruin the peace and quiet of this beautiful Winter day." With his free hand, Nikaido reached into one of his pockets and pulled out what could have been two halves of a shugo egg, except for the fact that it was a dull, boring shade of grey: hardly the color of someone's dreams. Despite Su's struggling, he managed to get her into one half of the egg with ease, then closed the other half on top of her. Her protests were drastically muffled. Then he reached into his pocket again, pulled out a white, sticker-like 'X', and put it over the crack of the egg, sealing the two halves firmly together.

"I hope you don't mind that I had to improvise a home for you for now." He said in a voice that said he really didn't care all that much. Then he opened his briefcase, tossed the egg carelessly in, closed the briefcase again, and headed off towards the school. He couldn't relax just yet - there were still two more test subjects that needed gathering.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the garden, I have absolutely no idea what's going on outside. I decide to actually listen to what we're talking about for a moment...

"No! Yaya thinks we should have chocolate cupcakes! Not vanilla!"

...okay, useless conversation. My mind wandered off again to what the charas might possibly be doing outside. Maybe I was just being overly-paranoid about the whole prank thing. I mean, what could they do? Then I remember waking up at the sleepover at Nadeshiko's house... and that was only Azami. What would she be able to come up with when _all _the charas were involved? Unsurprisingly, my mind drifted back onto the subject of what I could do to counter a bucket of green goo falling on my head, among other possibilities.

* * *

In case of any of the hiding charas possibly seeing him, Nikaido went back to his 'normal' klutzy self as he strolled off in the direction that Miki had flown. She was a bit more hard to predict - for a chara, Miki was definitely fairly intelligent. She'd probably find a good hiding place - one where the chara who was seeking wouldn't guess to look. However, as he walked, he began to sense a presence following him. He resisted the urge to turn around and look, and instead kept on walking until he came to one of the benches in front of the school. Making sure that he didn't look up, he opened his briefcase and took out a piece of paper, pretending to examine it closely. And, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a little blue chara coming ever closer, intrigued by what the suspected enemy could be inspecting so thoroughly.

Miki, thinking ahead, gave Nikaido a wide berth before slowly coming up behind him. That wouldn't work for Nikaido - she was being too cautious and staying too far away for him to catch. Nikaido placed his briefcase on his lap and opened it only enough so that he could see what was in it. He put the paper in there but continued to look at it closely, as if it was a secret that he couldn't let anyone know about. And despite Miki's normally wise behavior, she also had a deep curiosity for what Nikaido was hiding. Not to mention, it seemed like she could hear little muffled shouts coming from within the suitcase, and they sounded vaguely familiar...

As soon as Miki had let herself wander within reaching distance, Nikaido's hand flashed up and grabbed the chara. He knew that he was closer to the other hiding charas now - possibly within hearing distance - and so he had to work fast. Before Miki could really comprehend what had happened, he had her in another of his dull, grey eggs and put the 'X' on it. He then put her in his suitcase next to Su before continuing on his way. One more chara left. Unsurprisingly, he now headed toward the school's track and P.E. equipment, where he had seen the last of his targets fly off to.

* * *

_What if Azami dug a pitfall trap? No, wait, that doesn't make any sense - she's only a couple inches tall. Even with the other charas helping, that would take ages. Unless... what if they got a dog to help them? No, that's silly. So what if I do end up getting my hair full of goo as soon as I step out the door? That seems probable. Or maybe-_

"Miyuki-chan, are you all right?" Nadeshiko asked, snapping me out of my train of thought. All the Guardians were staring at me, probably wondering why I had been zoning out so much.

"Oh, y-yeah, I'm fine." I said, blushing a bit from embarrassment. "I guess I'm just a bit worried about what the charas might be doing outside." Totally true, though the Guardians took it as concern for the charas rather than concern for the current un-gooey state of my hair.

"Give 'em a break, Miyuki!" Kukai said, carefree as always. "What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

On his way to the fields, Nikaido passed Azami and the first chara she had found, Pepe. Nikaido acted as if he didn't see them, and instead continued to saunter this way and that, looking like he really wasn't doing anything in particular.

"Should we follow him, dechu~?" asked Pepe as the two charas stopped to observe Nikaido's progress for a moment.

Azami shrugged. "You can, if you want. I'm going to keep on looking for the others - I'm ashamed with myself that I haven't been able to find Kiseki yet, since he's probably in the most obvious hiding spot anyone could think of. Plus, I've never really agreed with Miyuki's theory. I mean, look at him - what could he possibly be doing?"

The baby chara watched Nikaido intently for a few moments, then agreed. "I guess you're right, dechu~. Anyway, I think I know where we can find Kiseki." Pepe led Azami away farther into the trees, away from Nikaido. He continued on his way.

As he made it to the P.E. and sports area of the school grounds, Nikaido sensed not one but two charas. He was sure that the two nearby charas knew he was there, but both of them stayed in their hiding places. He guessed that they suspected he was up to something, but were waiting to see what he would do next. Of course, that would be their downfall.

Nikaido neared the high-jump mat, apparently examining it very intently. It consisted of the two tall rods from which the horizontal pole was normally suspended from, as well as the big mat which cushioned a jumper's fall. Coincidentally, the mat was a light shade of red - perhaps not exactly the color of Amu's athletic chara, but similar enough that if she partially concealed herself while right next to it, she would be somewhat camouflaged. As he rounded the back of the red mat, he spotted a little discolored dot of pink where the mat met with the ground: Ran. He stopped for a moment, acting like he hadn't noticed, then reached into his pocket and grabbed another of his gray eggs. He examined it for a moment, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Ran was almost completely intent on figuring out what it was for herself.

Then, dropping all illusions of klutziness, he rapidly reached down and scooped Ran into one half of the egg and closed the other half around her, finally sealing it up with another of the X's. Nikaido simply put this faintly yelling egg back in his pocket before walking off to the back side of the school, turning sharply around the corner of the building.

Daichi, for his part, gasped at the sudden change in the behavior of Nikaido. He had been hiding nearby, in the upper branches of a tree, and saw everything. He wanted to dash forward and help, but he was uncharacteristically paralyzed with shock and fear. And besides, what could something little more than a couple inches tall do against Nikaido? Yet, as soon as Nikaido passed around the corner and out of sight, the spell was broken.

"Ran!" he shouted, flying forward as fast as he could in pursuit of the kidnapper. He turned sharply around the corner, only to fly right into Nikaido's hand.

"Well, now, what have we here?" Nikaido grinned menacingly. "Are you maybe her boyfriend, planning some sort of dashing rescue? How naive."

"Let me go!" Daichi shouted. "And let Ran go, too!"

"I see no reason why I should do either of those things. In fact..." He reached his other hand into his pocket and pulled out another empty egg shell. "Ah, it seems I did remember to bring an extra! Excellent."

"Somebody!" Daichi shouted at the top of his little lungs, realizing it was the only thing he could do. "Help! It's Nikai-" He was cut off as he was stuffed inside the egg and sealed within. Nikaido opened his briefcase on the ground, put both Daichi and Ran inside of it, then closed it and walked calmly to his car.

* * *

"Guys, I've got something I have to tell you." I snapped out of my daze. That had been Kukai talking, and he actually sounded... serious. That almost never happened, unless something was up that he really had to be serious about.

All the other Guardians had noticed his tone of voice, too, and immediately he had our undivided attention. Seeing this, he continued. "The thing is... I've got a cousin about my age who lives in France. Or, he did live in France. His dad moves around a lot for work, and he just got transferred to a branch of his corporation here. They'd been looking for a house near where I live, so that I could help my cousin out at school. But they only got a month's notice, and apparently the only good house they could find that was in their price range was way over on the other side of town. My mom wants me to go to school with him for the second semester to help him adjust to Japanese school."

I was in shock. Kukai leaving? I mean, I had never been that close to him, but he was like a big brother - to me and all the other Guardians. How could this happen?

"No! Yaya won't let you leave! Why can't your cousin just come live with you and come here for school!?!" Yaya said, jumping out of her seat and clamping on to Kukai's arm, refusing to let go. Kukai stayed sitting, though a little awkwardly due to Yaya.

"Hey, hey, calm down! I tried telling my mom that, but my aunt said that she wanted him to start making friends in his own neighborhood! It's ridiculous, I know, but neither her nor my mom will budge on the matter. My brothers even tried to help my cause - they said they needed me around more often to run their errands - but it didn't help." Kukai answered. "And my dad's dropping off and picking me up on his way to and from work, so it's not like I'll be completely gone. Just during the day."

"Doesn't matter!" Shouted Yaya, tightening her hold. "Yaya doesn't want you to leave!"

"Yuiki-san, can you calm down?" Tadase asked calmly, trying to soothe her. "It's only for the semester. After that, he'll be going to middle school just down the street, and we'll be able to see him any time."

"Come on, Yaya - you guys will be fine without me! And like Tadase said, I'll still see you." Kukai said.

"What about you, Souma-kun?" asked Nadeshiko. "Will you be okay going to a new school?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I'll be okay." Kukai said. "Admittedly, I wish I didn't have to go, but I hear they at least have a great soccer team!" That was Kukai - optomistic even when faced with a totally new school and having to take care of some lame French cousin. I would miss him, but like he said, it wasn't like we would never see each other again. And I was sure that Kukai would do great, whatever school he was at.

"No, no, no!" Yaya said. "Kukai can't leave!"

Kukai was about to try and comfort her, but suddenly Temari - normally so calm and graceful - came flying in through still open door, apparently in great distress.

"Nadeshiko!"

"What is it, Temari?" Nadeshiko asked, looking deeply concerned.

Though still talking quietly, her speech was stumbling. "I-I was hiding on top of the roof in hide and seek, trying to stay down so Azami wouldn't see me if she happened to look up there. I had been up there for a while, but then... but then I heard Daichi yell for help."

"What!?!" Kukai said, standing up and knocking his chair to the ground. Yaya had already let go, distracted by Temari's sudden appearance.

Temari continued. "I floated over to the side of the building where I heard the yell - at the track area - and I saw Nikaido right as he was putting something in his briefcase. Then he walked off to his car. I looked around for Daichi, but he was nowhere, and neither was Ran, who should have been nearby."

Kukai didn't wait along any longer - he dashed away from the table and out of the greenhouse. "Souma-kun, wait!" Tadase said, but it was no use. Tadase, Yaya, and Nadeshiko all quickly got up to follow him, but both Amu and I just sat in a daze for a moment.

"Amu-chan! Miyuki-chan! We've got to help!" Nadeshiko said urgently.

"...Ran..." Amu seemed disbelieving. But then she came to her senses. "All right - Let's go!"

I reluctantly got up. What if Nikaido was still around? Would I be finally forced to fight the Guardians? And how much would that hurt Amu? I mean, talk about adding insult to injury - first her charas are stolen (I was certain that Nikaido didn't have just Ran, but Miki and Su as well), and then I would betray her.

Seeing no other option, I followed. We ran down the path towards the sports area, but we all stopped (except Kukai, who was far ahead) when I heard someone calling out my name.

"Miyuki-chan! Where are you guys going?" Azami asked innocently as she caught up to us from behind. Following her were Pepe and Kiseki.

"Where have you three been? Have you seen the other charas?" Tadase asked seriously.

Kiseki answered. "I just fought a valiant battle with a fearsome beast-"

"Squirrel, dechu~." Pepe corrected.

Kiseki looked annoyed, but continued. "- a beast that was trying to force me from my hiding spot!"

"He forgets to mention that he lost." Azami said. "Anyway, what's going on?"

"Did you three see Nikaido around here?" asked Nadeshiko.

"Yeah. He was wandering off in that direction." Azami said, pointing with her tail towards the area where the final kidnappings had taken place. "Why?"

"We think he's done something to Daichi, and maybe Ran." Nadeshiko explained. "Where are the rest of the charas?"

Azami shrugged, though she looked convincingly worried. "I haven't seen any of them - they were hiding, after all."

"Ran! Miki! Su!" Amu suddenly shouted, stopping any other questions. We waited a few moments, but there was no answer.

Amu yelled again. The silence hung longer this time, but still there was no response. Amu's face showed a mix of emotions - pain, sorrow, hopelessness. Not knowing what to say, we all remained quiet. Then, Amu dashed off towards where Azami had pointed. We all followed, and our charas - at least, the ones that were left - joined up with their respective humans. I paused for a moment, deliberating whether to follow or not, but after a couple seconds I ran in pursuit. I glanced quickly over at Azami, who flashed me a smile of pure mischief. And that's when it finally hit me: _she _was the one responsible for this. She had set up that whole game just to get Amu's charas kidnapped. As soon as we got a moment away from the Guardians, I was going to strangle her. I was so angry that I almost would have burst out yelling then and there if the other Guardians wouldn't have heard. Azami saw how angry I was, but didn't say anything to me.

When I made it to the track area, it was a solemn scene. Kukai was kneeling on the ground, his eyes looking downward. Amu was staring off at the parking lot, her back turned to everyone else. The rest of the group was just standing in shock.

"Ran! Miki! Su!" Amu shouted, then added, "Daichi!"

There was no answer. Again she shouted, but like before, no one answered.

Then, in a quiet voice that I had never known he had, Kukai spoke. "He's gone... Daichi... and all Amu's charas, too. They're all gone."

* * *

Quick FYI to all readers - the next update will either be next Wednesday or the Sunday following that or not at all, due to the fact that I'm not going to have access to any computer from Thursday to most of Sunday. I hope I can get one out, but please forgive me if I can't.

Thanks to new reviewer Angelic Swordsman (though you might not see this, since you reviewed chapter 20), Starheartswirly (I don't think you've reviewed before - thanks for doing it now~), and Jasper and Onyx! I did realize I have anonymous reviews blocked, though I may consider unblocking for a time and seeing if I prefer it that way. I simply prefer having signed reviews, but I've never tried allowing anonymous before, so I'll see....

As far as my poll on how to continue the story goes, I've got four people saying I should just label this "A Possibility of Evil: Book 1" and the next Book 2 and so on, and four people who say differently (though that's divided among three of the other choices). So I'll probably be adding 'book 1' onto the current title of this story soon unless more people vote differently, though it probably won't happen for another chapter or so. Just a forewarning.

Thanks for reading! (We're so close to the end of the first part of the story! Yay!)


	28. The Search Continues

Tadase was the first to come to his senses. "Don't worry, we'll get them back."

Kukai seemed to awaken. "Yeah, you're right! I can't just sit here and mope while Daichi is in trouble! Come on, Amu - let's put your special training to good use!" Before Amu knew it, she had been grabbed by the arm and was running behind Kukai, doing her best to keep up. But despite Kukai's optimism, I thought I noticed something I'd never truly seen in Kukai's eyes before: anger. Then again, he was gone before I could get a good look, and perhaps I was mistaken.

Tadase made as if to call Kukai and Amu back, but Nadeshiko put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "Let's all look for the charas, Hotori-kun." Nadeshiko said.

Tadase looked back at her, then smiled. Suddenly, his little crown appeared on his head, and Tadase entered his chara-change mood. "No one can get away with disturbing the peace of a king's subjects! I will not allow it! Come, commoners - onward!"

"Don't you think one of us should see if we can find out where Nikaido lives?" Nadeshiko suggested.

"Yes, of course!" Tadase said. "What a brilliant plan! You can go do that, while we go off in search of my missing subjects!" Then the chara change went away. Tadase looked embarrassed, but knew that now wasn't the time for that.

"All right, Hotori-kun - you three help look. I'll go get Nikaido's papers and take a good look at them." Nadeshiko said. Tadase nodded, and we headed off. As soon as we were outside of the school grounds, we looked at each other, trying to decide where to go.

"Yaya says that way!" she said, pointing straight ahead.

Tadase suggested a better plan. "Let's all split up - Yuiki-san, you can go straight. I'll go left, and you can go right, Yamada-san. We'll call each other if we manage to find anything."

"Okay!" Yaya shouted, before dashing off enthusiastically. Even now, with such dire circumstances, her baby-like personality was still present.

"Sounds like a good idea." I said to Tadase, before we both headed off our separate ways. I was glad to have a moment alone, because as soon as I was alone, I could begin my little... discussion with Azami.

As soon as I rounded a corner and I was sure no one was around, my hand darted up to grab Azami. But she seemed to be expecting this, and easily dodged.

"What in the world are you doing!?!" I practically shouted. I hadn't been this angry since.... Well, I'd never been this angry, as far as my memory told me. "You handed over Amu's charas to Nikaido! You know that's exactly what I was worried about! And I thought you hated Nikaido after that time when he almost turned you into an X-egg! How could you!?!" This was the first time I'd directly mentioned the X-egg thing to Azami. It was a topic we had tried to avoid, but I was being consumed with fury. Literally. The dark energy inside me was seething, and all I wanted to do was hurt something or someone. Preferably Azami.

"What can I say?" asked Azami, seemingly unphased by my wrath. "I was in a particularly evil mood today."

"That's all!?! That's ALL!?!" I shouted.

"Calm down, unless you want the Guardians to hear you and come running. Or unless you want all the people in the neighborhood to call the police because there's a crazy person shouting at thin air on their street." Azami said. "Anyway, it wasn't the _only _reason. You'd been worrying about Amu's charas getting stolen so much this week that I decided we might as well get it over with."

"That's NOT the way to make me worry less!" I yelled, though I did lower my voice slightly. "In fact, now I'm only worrying more!"

"I didn't say I was trying to get you to worry less." Azami replied, as if that was obvious. "Think of it this way - now you're worrying about something that _is _happening, rather than something that you knew was _going _to happen."

"What difference does it make!?!"

Azami sighed. "I've told you before - dragons only care about what's happening now, in the present. Not the future. This option seemed easier than trying to get you to stop worrying completely, which would have been nearly impossible."

"So you help Nikaido _kidnap them?!?_"

"Yep."

I stared at her for a few moments, feeling my face going red with rage. Then, I simply turned on the spot and walked down the street.

"Hey, where are you going?"

I didn't answer.

"Miyuki-chan! Answer me!"

I still didn't reply. Then, I received an extremely forceful whack to the back of my head, and I turned around, my wrath building even higher.

"Miyuki, quit being stupid." Azami said harshly. "If you're going to be a dragon, act like one. You're letting some silly pink-haired girl's troubles bother you. A dragon doesn't have empathy. You knew it was going to happen anyway - all I did was speed up the process. You knew from the beginning that you'd betray her one day. Why not now?"

"Who says I want to be a dragon anymore! What if I'm finding out that I don't like what being a dragon includes!" I shouted.

"If that was true, then I'd be gone already." Azami said. "I know you - I mean, I _am _you, more or less. If anything, you want to be a dragon now more than ever. You want the power to deal with what you don't like; you want your foolish emotions to go away so you don't have to feel pain that isn't even happening to you; you want to stop being afraid for yourself and others. Whether you admit it or not, that's the way it is."

"If you know me so well, then what do you suggest I do?!? Just go find Nikaido and say, 'Oh, hey, I'm here to help destroy Amu's dreams. What do you want me to do?' Do you really expect me to do that?!?" I said. I was still angry, but everything Azami had just said was completely true.

"Do whatever you want. I'm not saying that you can't go against Nikaido - I still hate him, as do you. You don't even have to decide right now; as I've said, a dragon doesn't worry about the future. If you don't want to make the choice of betrayal yet, then don't. By all means, just wait until the moment you absolutely have to decide. That's what a dragon does. If she wants to." Azami replied.

My anger deflated a bit, but the Darkness was still rearing up within, making me feel miserable. "Fine." I said, turning again and heading back down the street in the direction I had been going.

"What are you doing now, Miyuki?" asked Azami.

"I'm looking for Ran, Miki, Su, and Daichi, despite the fact that Nikaido is probably long gone if he took his car." I answered, without looking at her.

Azami seemed both relieved and curious. "So does that mean you're siding with the Guardians?"

"You were just saying I could wait to decide." I said, irritated. "I still don't know. I definitely still want to be a dragon, but on the other hand... I just don't know." Azami said nothing more to me, and so we continued our search in silence as I tried to sort through my conflicting thoughts.

* * *

It was nearly six 'o clock when Tadase called everyone's cell phones and suggested we meet back at the garden. Everyone else had arrived by the time I got back - my searching had taken me quite a ways away without me really noticing. All of us were quiet - Amu and Kukai because their charas were missing, and the other Guardians because they hadn't been able to find the missing charas. As for me, I was still deep in thought about this whole mess. At the very least, the Darkness had died down to some extent. That was something for me to be grateful for.

"I examined Nikaido's files more carefully while everyone else was out." Nadeshiko said. "Everything was fake: his address, his degree, his teaching license."

"I'm sorry, Hinamori-san." Tadase said suddenly. "You and Yamada-san have been saying all along that Nikaido wasn't any good, and I didn't believe you. Please forgive me."

"N-no, Tadase-kun, it's not your fault." Amu said, seeming flustered by the apology. "I don't think even I was really sure about it until now..."

"What we need is action right now, not talking!" Kukai said. "Let's keep looking for them!"

"Souma-kun, please think about it." Tadase said. "This is a big city, and it's almost dark. They could be anywhere, and searching in the dark won't be any help. Our parents are probably be wondering where we are by now."

"Yaya's parents already called." Yaya said. "They told me I need to get back soon."

Kukai looked really angry at the whole situation for a moment. But it soon passed and he went back to his normal self. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll call it a day for now. But we'll start searching again first thing in the morning!"

Tadase nodded. "Let's all meet up here by seven tomorrow morning. Earlier, if possible. We're going to do everything we can to find the Daichi, Ran, Su, and Miki."

We all agreed, and left for our houses. Tadase offered to walk Amu home, but she said that she would be fine.

* * *

I layed on my bed staring at my ceiling for most of the night. This was the best way I could think, and I really needed to think right about now.

_So what am I going to do? I obviously don't want to hurt the Guardians. But wouldn't that be stupid of me? I mean, dragons aren't supposed to need friends. Then again, if I wanted to help the Guardians, it wouldn't really be for noble reasons - it would be because I like to hang out with them. What I like. That's selfishness. I wouldn't be doing it for them. I would be doing it for myself. Or am I just trying to get around the fact that I'd be doing the 'right' thing?_

_And what about Nikaido? Am I just going to let him push me around forever? I don't want him to boss me around, but... but whenever I'm around him, I just can't do anything about it. That is, unless Azami character-changes with me. And besides, I suppose it's only bossing me around if he's ordering me to do something that I don't want to do in the first place. So I've got to figure out if what I'll be told to do is really something I don't want to do or not. Or, rather, if I want to be a dragon more than I want to be friends with the Guardians. I already made the decision once, with Mai - so why is it so hard to choose a second time?_

My mind veered drastically off course for a moment, and I found myself wondering where Ikuto was at the moment. I tried to shake the question from my mind, but as soon as it had found its way in, it wasn't planning on leaving without a fight. It messed up my entire train of thought, and I wasn't able to answer any of my questions. I figured Azami was right about having to choose at the last moment, and that I'd just have to wait until then to see what I would do. But until then, there was no way I'd be able to forget about it.

* * *

The next day, I woke up to the sound of my alarm at six in the morning. Way too early for the first Saturday of Winter break, but there was nothing I could do about it. I got up, got ready, and was out the door by six thirty - plenty of time to get to the school. Whether for good or for bad, my mood had made me go back to my normal, somewhat gothic attire. This included a short black skirt, long black socks with red stripes, and a black shirt with a couple of thin, red lines running diagonally across the front and back. It was chilly again today, but it didn't bother me much. I just grabbed a light jacket and I was perfectly fine with the cold.

About halfway through my walk from my house to the school, my phone rang. I reached into my jacket pocket for my cell, but froze as my hand closed around it. What if it was Nikaido? He had said that he'd need me to fight the Guardians. But then again, that was only if they started causing trouble for him, which shouldn't have been the case quite yet. But what if he was just going to have me fight them anyway? It would be a good way to keep them from finding him, and it would hurt me (emotionally, and perhaps physically as well), which would just add to his motivation to make the order.

After a couple of rings, I worked up the courage to look at the caller i.d. and see who was calling. I nearly laughed with relief when I saw that it was only Amu.

"Hello?" I asked, answering the phone.

"Uh, yeah, Miyuki? This is Amu." Her voice sounded troubled. Then again, of course her voice would sound troubled - all three of her charas were gone.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned.

"Well... I ran into Ikuto last night." I almost interjected, but she kept going. "He messed with me like he usually does, but.... he also seemed to suggest that I should try going to Easter to find Nikaido and my charas. And once I thought about it, it seemed like a good idea... I mean, though I guess we don't really know, it seems likely that Nikaido works for Easter. But I'm not sure... I mean, I can't tell the other Guardians about Ikuto."

"Then just don't tell them that part." I said as I started walking again. Actually, I really didn't want to have to go to Easter, but I really didn't want to give dishonest advice right now. "Just say that you figured that Nikaido works for Easter, and we can build off the idea from there."

"Are you sure?" Amu asked. She normally wasn't _this _hesitant about things - I had a feeling that being away from her charas was having a bad effect on her mood and her confidence.

"I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work." I said.

"Okay, I guess you're right." Amu said. "Thanks."

"No problem. Will you be at the school soon?" I asked.

"In just a few minutes - I'm still at my house, but I'm all ready to go." Amu answered. "Are you already there?"

"No. I'm about five minutes away right now. So I guess I'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." I hung up, and put the phone in my pocket. So now I couldn't help but wonder what Ikuto was up to. I mean, admittedly, going to Easter would be the best start to finding the missing charas. But then again, Ikuto works for Easter. What if it was a trap? Then again, that didn't seem like his style. So was he just trying to be... helpful? That seemed absurd, but then again, what did I know about Ikuto? He acted like a perverted cat all the time, it's true, but what was he really like? When I thought back to the times I'd met him, it did seem like he was trying to help, in his own way. But there were probably a hundred other explanations for why he acted the way he did.

When I arrived, Tadase, Yaya, and Kukai were already in the Royal Garden. Amu got there just a minute or so after my arrival, and Nadeshiko was there soon after that. By the time everyone made it, it was still ten minutes to seven - I guessed that everyone was anxious to start the search again.

"So where are we going to search?" Yaya asked first, starting the conversation.

"I was thinking about it last night, but I don't see any way we can find out where he lives if his records are fake." Tadase said, sounding disappointed with himself. "The only thing I could think of is if we all split up, using our charas to try and sense where Daichi and the others are."

"What if we tried looking at Easter?" Amu suggested. "If he works for them, then maybe he's there."

"That's a good idea, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko said. "But we'd probably have to be careful."

Tadase agreed. "I don't think a big corporation like Easter would just let us walk around, searching for Nikaido. And I don't know how we can get into the building secretly."

"I know!" Kukai said. "If he's already there, the charas that are with us should be able to sense the missing ones. Then, we can wait outside until he comes out, since he's got to leave eventually."

Amu spoke up, but quietly. "But what if... what if something happens to them while we're just waiting?"

Everyone looked grim at this. "Come on, Amu-chi!" Yaya said, trying to cheer her up. "We'll save them, no matter what! Nothing's gonna happen to them!"

"Yuiki-san is right." Tadase said. "We'll go with Kukai's plan, and hope for the best."

Amu looked encouraged, and everyone started getting up from the table. But there was a major flaw with this plan, and I just had to speak up. "If we're going to do this, we can't just stand out in front of Easter. A bunch of kids would kind of stand out in the business part of town, and we'd probably get the cops called on us."

"Then what do we do, Miyuki-chan?" asked Nadeshiko.

I could have hit myself for actually helping them with this - I didn't want to go anywhere near Easter - but I really had no other options. "I've been through that part of town a couple of times. There's a couple of fast food places down the street a couple blocks from the Easter building, if I remember correctly. We could all order some drinks or something and just act like we're hanging out, while a couple of the charas watch the Easter building to see if Nikaido comes or goes."

The others agreed, and we headed out. Due to distance, it took a while for us to make our way there. Nonetheless, urgency seemed to lend us wings, and we were nearing Easter in just under an hour. Yaya looked a little fatigued, but all the rest of us were too anxious to be bothered by the rapid walk. We didn't approach Easter directly, as I had suggested. Rather, we walked along the opposite side of the street and passed it, acting as if we didn't even notice the massive building.

"So, do you four sense anything?" Tadase asked the charas once we were directly across from the building.

"It's faint, but they're there, dechu~." Pepe said.

Kiseki nodded knowingly. "Ran, Miki, Su, and Daichi are definitely in there! The king knows it!"

"I can sense them, too." Azami added.

Temari nodded in agreement, not really needing to say anything.

As we kept on walking, Tadase issued the orders. "All right. Azami and Pepe, you two keep watch and come directly to us if you see Nikaido. We'll be waiting at the restaurant down the road a block or so, sitting next to a window so that we'll see you when you need to come get us."

"Roger!" Pepe said, saluting.

Azami shrugged. "Fine with me." The two charas stayed behind as we kept on walking. Though I really should have been a bit less distracted considering the circumstances, my mind did start to wonder why a fast food place was here in the business district at all. Then again, I guess even businessmen (and women) in suits have to eat. We each ordered and paid for a drink (Nadeshiko and Yaya got lemonade; the rest of us just stuck with pop), then sat down at a booth next to the window. We talked a bit just to make ourselves look less suspicious, but the conversation was empty. The only quality to it was the underlying tone of the worry that all of us had.

We were there almost two hours, slowly sipping down our drinks and eventually asking for refills. Despite the fact that we somehow managed to keep up a conversation, I could tell that the employees were a bit curious about a group of kids that came to this part of town to a fast food place, just to get a couple drinks. However, Kiseki was our first alert to something happening. Even at this distance, he had been able to detect where the kidnapped charas' were. He had been concentrating as best he could on monitoring that as our conversation progressed.

At about ten 'o clock, Kiseki nearly jumped in surprise, and Temari suddenly perked up as well. "Daichi and Amu's charas are moving away!" Kiseki shouted. All talk immediately came to a halt. A moment later, we saw Azami and Pepe outside, gesturing for us to hurry. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. The employees stared, but we didn't care. At this point, I knew the inevitable was coming, and I knew that I was going to have to make the choice which I had been postponing until now.

We hurried down the street, not quite running due to the fact that we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves. Azami and Pepe explained that, though they had never seen Nikaido, they had felt the presences of the others moving away from the building. Of course, Nikaido probably hadn't used the front entrance of the building - there had to be at least a dozen other ways to exit. As we moved, covering blocks at a time in just a couple minutes, it struck me as odd that it seemed that we were keeping up. Surely Nikaido would use his car, and if that was the case, he would be long gone by now. This fact made me uneasy, but none of the others seemed to notice. All of them were too intent on the goal.

We soon left behind the tall buildings of the business district and found ourselves in a slightly less busy part of the city. I wasn't familiar with the area, and neither were any of the other Guardians, but we kept on moving blindly forward anyway. With each step we took, that feeling in my gut that told me something wasn't right just kept growing and growing. Somehow, it seemed like we were always just far enough behind him so that the charas could sense Daichi and the others, but we couldn't see Nikaido. That helped to add to my suspicions.

I have no idea how long we walked, but I do know that we went fast and that all of us (except Kukai) were just about ready to drop by the time the situation finally changed.

"I think we're getting closer." Temari said in her quiet manner, still managing to sound very excited.

"Yeah, they're slowing down." Azami agreed. "I can feel them over there." She pointed ahead of us, into a small park. Due to the number of broken branches, cracked sidewalks, and the amount of graffiti, I guessed that it hadn't been taken care of in a while.

_Oh great. _I thought. _Another park. Don't bad things always seem to happen to me when I'm in some park or another?_

Despite my feeling of dread, everyone else seemed reinvigorated by this news and picked the speed back up. As we reached the center of the park, Amu asked, "So? Where are they?"

Pepe answered for the rest of the charas. "They're somewhere around here, but we can't find exactly where they are, dechu~."

"Maybe I can be of some assistance, Himamori-san." Said an all-too-familiar voice from behind us, causing us all to jump and turn around. There, standing just twenty or so feet away beneath the trees, was Nikaido. He gave me a quick glance that made me think he was enjoying the current situation, and yet he surprisingly didn't ask me to do anything. Yet. Still, my mind was going into overdrive - what was I going to do? And now, even when confrontation seemed inevitable, I couldn't decide.

Kukai responded almost immediately. "Nikaido! I don't know what you're trying to pull, but give us our charas back!" There was anger in his eyes, along with dogged determination.

Tadase recovered his sense as well. "We know you're not really a teacher, and that you're really an employee of Easter! Give Amu's and Kukai's charas back to us!"

"Hmm... well, I guess I have been found out." Nikaido said, using his innocent teacher voice. Then, he changed his tone - back to the true, dangerous tone that I knew must be what he really was. "Do you mean these?" He reached his left hand into his pocket and pulled out four grey eggs, each with a little X on it. From them, faint shouts of protests could be heard, but we were too far away to hear what they were saying.

"Ran! Miki! Su!" Amu shouted out, right as Kukai was saying, "Daichi!"

"Yes, I have your precious charas." Nikaido said menacingly. "I was planning on using them for a little research... an experiment, you could say. Wouldn't you just love to see one of your charas become the Embryo?" Amu looked horrified, and Kukai's expression turned grimmer.

"Give back the charas!" Tadase ordered, seeing his friends' distress.

"I thought I'd heard that you were a good student, little prince, but I guess I heard wrong." Nikaido said. "I just told you that I need these eggs - weren't you listening to the teacher?"

There was a standoff for a few moments - all of us Guardians, radiating a mix of fear and anger towards Nikaido. Us versus Nikaido, who was simply smiling as if he had accomplished something very amusing.

Suddenly, Amu ran forward, a couple of tears streaming down her face. "Give me back my charas!" She shouted, determined.

"Not so fast, Hinamori-san." Nikaido said as he grabbed one of the eggs with his other hand and held it between his thumb and forefinger, as if to drop it. (I noted that he had actually used Amu's real surname for once, which perhaps shocked me more than the threat in his voice) Amu, seeing possible danger for the eggs, stopped just about half way between Nikaido and the rest of us.

Once Hinamori stopped, Nikaido continued. "Who knows what might happen to the poor little charas if one of their eggs were to fall? Or, if some sort of struggle were to occur, and their eggs got crushed in the process?" At this, he changed his grip so that the egg was gripped tightly in his fist. No one - except probably Nikaido - could tell who was in the egg, since all of them looked identical. Amu looked torn - she wanted to rush forward and grab the eggs, but knew that doing so could end badly for one or all of them.

Nikaido, seeing her dilemma, looked victorious for a moment. Then, his demeanor changed again, back to the teacher attitude that bothered me so much. "I see how much you miss these innocent little charas, and I suppose I don't need _all _of them for my experiment. I suppose you can have one back, Himamori-san." He loosened his grip on the one that he had been making threats with, and seemed to admire it for a second. Then, he threw the egg high into the air with an underhand throw. It soared above Amu's head and arched so that it appeared it would smash to the ground somewhere in between us and Amu. Amu turned around and started moving forward to catch it, but Kukai intervened.

"I've got it!" he shouted, positioning himself so that he was right under where the egg was going to fall. He expertly caught it, but almost as soon as it touched his hands, three loud bangs cut through the air, and we suddenly found ourselves in a sea of smoke.

_So it was a diversion._ I thought as I coughed, staggering and trying to get out of the smoke. My eyes burned, and I was forced to shut them. Not like I could have seen my hand in front of my face, anyway.

"Chara-change!" I heard Azami say right next to me, and (as always) my eyes, necklace, and nails changed to their chara-changed form. Surprisingly, I stopped coughing. I even opened my eyes and, to my surprise, not only did it no longer burn, but I could actually see _through _the smoke. Admittedly, everything was a tad bit hazier than my normal vision, but I could still see everything I needed to see: Tadase, Yaya and the others staggering and coughing as I had been doing a moment before; the other free charas, floating above the smoke and looking for their respective humans; and, most surprisingly, Nikaido whispering something into Amu's ear before quickly making his getaway. I didn't remember ever having this ability before, but then again, I had never actually needed to see through smoke before now.

The smoke cleared quickly after that last event, leaving everyone stunned and out of breath. (I had let the chara-change fade as soon as the choking haze had mostly dissipated) Kukai was the first to do anything - he turned his attention to the egg in his hands, with the unknown chara inside. He ripped off the 'X' sticker, and as soon as it was off, out popped Daichi.

"Kukai!" he said happily.

"Daichi!" Kukai said back, smiling. Amu looked happy to see the reunion, but it was bittersweet - the fact remained that her charas were still missing.

Kukai noticed her mood, and cut his rejoicing short. "Where did that creep get to now?" He asked angrily. "We'll get back Ran, Miki, and Su, and then I'm going to teach that so-called teacher some manners!"

We all looked around, but we saw no clue as to where Nikaido might have headed off to. "Can you sense anything, Temari?" asked Nadeshiko.

Temari shook her head sadly. None of the other charas argued - wherever Ran, Miki, and Su had been taken, they were already far enough away that they couldn't be sensed.

"Well, what are we going to do?" asked Yaya, trying to break the disappointment.

"We'll keep on searching." Tadase said, determined. "He can't have gotten too far."

"No, you guys, it's okay." Amu said, surprising us all.

"What are you talking about, Amu?" asked Kukai. "We're not going to stop until we get your charas back!"

"It's just that... we've already been out all day, waiting and looking for them. And Nikaido could have gone anywhere. Let's just go home for now. I guess we can keep looking in the morning." Perhaps even more surprising than what she was saying was how she was saying it. She didn't sound completely hopeless, like she didn't expect to ever find her charas. On the contrary, she seemed almost preoccupied by something else. But what could be so important that she didn't want to keep searching for her charas? It was only mid afternoon, and there was plenty of time left in the day to keep looking.

"Amu-chan, I agree with Kukai - we can't just give up." Nadeshiko said. "We won't let Nikaido get away."

"No, really." Amu insisted. "We're probably all tired. We should all just get some rest and keep searching later. Maybe we'll think of something if we take a break for a while." And yet, her tone of voice didn't exactly agree. While she sounded sad, she didn't seem all that tired. Nor did she seem like she really believed what she was saying. It seemed to me like she just wanted to get away from us for some reason or another.

Nonetheless, if she was going to insist, we couldn't really argue. We were talking about _her _charas, after all. "If that's how you really feel, Hinamori-san, we'll meet again tomorrow morning at the same time in the Royal Garden." Tadase said, looking concerned.

Amu tried to smile in thanks, but it was sad and lacked any emphasis. We managed to figure out where we were, and we walked most of the way back together. But none of us talked. We were all lost in our thoughts. Even the charas were quiet. Eventually, after a long walk back, we went our separate ways.

* * *

Tonight was another one of those nights where I just sat on my bed and thought. I was still angry at Azami, but as always, I couldn't really argue with her. Perhaps to anyone else, the points she made wouldn't have made much sense, but to me there was no way I could really counter them convincingly. At least as far as logic and my personal desires went, I agreed with everything Azami had said. There was just that little problem of friendship. I didn't know what I was going to do. I thought long and hard about it, but no matter how convinced I would be one way, a new argument would pop into my head that completely destroyed my certainty.

Then my cell phone rang, breaking what little train of thought I had. I looked at the number that was calling, but I didn't recognize it. I hoped that it might just be someone calling the wrong number, but I knew that wasn't likely. I mentally braced myself, then answered the phone.

"Hello?" I asked cautiously. Azami hovered nearby, curious as to who it was.

"Mizuki-san, I'm glad I caught you before you went to bed." Of course, it would have to be Nikaido. As if I wasn't troubled enough already, here he was calling to torment me even more. I nearly dropped the phone, and I didn't reply. I wished he would use his real voice, if only just this once.

After a short pause in which he must have realized I wasn't planning on saying anything, he continued on. "Well, Mizuki-san, I've invited Amu to come to my personal lab to observe my little egg-speriment." I really wasn't in the mood for jokes, and the pun wasn't helping. "While I'm sure that she can do nothing while her wonderful little charas are in my possession, I'd like you there just in case. I told her to come alone, and she's too afraid for her charas to bring any of the rest of your little group of Guardian friends along."

I was planning on just keeping silent, but then a thought occurred to me that I couldn't ignore. "Do Amu's charas know that I'm working for Easter yet? Are they listening to the conversation?" I was nearly panicked - on one hand, if they already knew, then my decision had been made for me: if my betrayal wasn't a secret any more, then I wouldn't feel so inclined to keep hiding it. On the other hand, I felt like I needed to make this decision myself - what if I really didn't want to work for Easter anymore?

"No, no, Mizuki-san. I thought that Amu's charas should share her surprise tomorrow morning. They're in another room at the moment. Anyway, I'm expecting Amu at exactly ten in the morning. I'll expect you there a little bit before then. I suppose you don't even know where to come, do you, Mizuki-san? It's the large building over on the outskirts of the east side of town. It used to be a dorm for Easter. Do you know where I'm talking about?"

Yes, I knew. It'd been abandoned for years, and it was one of those buildings that everyone knew about but no one wanted to go near. The entire neighborhood around it was deserted.

"Mizuki-san, I asked if you know the place." Nikaido said, sounding slightly impatient.

"Y-yes." I answered.

"Ah, good. Well, I'll see you there tomorrow, Mizuki-san! I must make some last minute preparations now, so I hope you'll excuse me for not chatting longer." And with that, he hung up. I hated that overly-polite way of talking. It was almost worse over the phone than it was when I talked with him in person. Almost.

And now I understood what Nikaido had said to Amu when he had thrown the smoke bombs. And now I knew why Amu had insisted on going home early - if she had brought the Guardians with her or if she had gone to get them early, Nikaido might have done something to her charas. But now, my choice loomed in front of me, greater than ever.

I could do the right thing, and help Amu rescue her charas.

Or I could betray her, just like I betrayed Mai.

* * *

Well, since I didn't get a chapter out last week, I'm posting this one a day early. As far as updating goes, I've got two more busy weeks before school is finally out for me. Due to the amount of work, activities, and studying, there is a chance I won't be able to get out a chapter next weekend. I'll post a temporary update if that were to happen, though, and hopefully it won't.

Also, I've updated my personal profile. It's got a lot of general information about the story, as well as some fun facts about how I came up with the idea and such. I suggest you check it out if you're interested enough in my story to be far enough that you're reading this. I'll update it whenever something I want to put on there pops into my head, so if you like it, you might want to look back in on it every now and then.

And, as you've probably noticed, I have changed the title to "A Possibility of Evil: Book 1"! Know that this is not set in stone, and if I were to get a lot of poll votes for a different way, I might change it. And if you're curious, I will now reveal that there are exactly two more chapters before Book 1 is finished and I move on to book 2. Thanks to everyone who has kept up with it this far!


	29. A Choice is Made

I sat staring off into space for a long while, trying to decide what to do. Azami knew I was finally making my choice, and waited with a surprising amount of patience until I could figure out what I would do. The night wore on, and nearly an hour had passed before I said anything.

"No..." I said quietly.

"What? No to what?" asked Azami.

"I'm not going to let Nikaido order me around anymore." I said slowly, as if_ I _couldn't even believe what I was saying. "I mean, of course the fact that I would have to hurt Amu is influencing my decision. But for the most part, I just don't want to be forced to do something that I don't want to do. Especially by Nikaido."

Azami grinned. "Now that's what I wanted to hear. Perhaps you're being affected by very un-dragonish emotions, but I would have been sorely disappointed if we'd had to go on working for Nikaido like this. So what will we do? Help Amu, or just forget about the whole thing and let her fend for herself?"

"Of course we're going to help." I answered, more convinced with my decision now. "What's the point in disobeying Nikaido if Amu's charas ended up getting hurt anyway?"

"And what will you do if Nikaido tells Amu that you've been working for him this whole time?" Azami asked.

I thought for a moment; this was one of my major concerns. "Well, they say actions speak louder than words. I'll be helping Amu out as best I can - hopefully she'll either not believe Nikaido, or else she'll see that I'm sorry."

Azami frowned. "A dragon is never sorry, but I get your point. Do you have a plan, or will we just show up and hope for the best?"

"Hmm..." I thought quietly for a couple minutes and, slowly, a plan began to form. Then again, it was a pretty simple and obvious plan. After a few more minutes, my mind was firmly made up. I reached over to my small, bedside table, grabbed my cell phone from where I had set it, and began dialing a number.

"Who are you calling?" asked Azami.

"Nadeshiko." I replied. "I'm going to call all the Guardians and tell them to come along - who knows what Nikaido might have in store? If he's inviting Amu to watch, then there's surely got to be some sort of trap involved."

"Why do we need to worry about Nikaido? If you just chara-nari, then we'll be able to beat whatever he throws at us. Easily."

"I don't want to character transform except as a last resort, or unless Nikaido has already told about my secret." I said. "My transformation is so obviously dark that they'd be able to tell that something is wrong with me. I mean, I literally leak X-energy, and unlike Amu's bright and shiny character transformations, mine are black as night."

"I'm tired of hiding our chara-nari. It's so much fun to character transform." Azami said, but I shushed her as I finished dialing the number and I waited for Nadeshiko to answer her phone.

After just two rings or so, Nadeshiko picked up. "Hello. Is that you, Miyuki-chan? Why are you calling so late?"

"Oh, sorry." I said instinctively. "Did I wake you up?"

"No - I've been too worried about Amu-chan." Nadeshiko replied. "Did it seem like she was acting odd today, after Nikaido escaped?"

"Actually... that's why I was calling. When we were all struggling in the smoke, I ended up moving towards Amu. And I heard Nikaido talking to her."

"Nikaido?" asked Nadeshiko seriously. "What did he want with Amu? He already has her charas."

"He invited her to come and watch his experiment tomorrow morning. He told her to come alone, and I think she was too afraid for her charas to try bringing us along." I said. So far, not too much lying - and even so, this was for a good cause. "I was hoping that Amu would tell us herself, but she didn't. Nikaido said that he wanted her at that creepy big building on the East side of town at ten a.m. exactly."

"So what are we going to do? Have you talked with any of the others yet, Miyuki-chan?"

"No, you were the first one I called." I replied. "I think we should still meet at the Royal Garden at seven - Amu will probably still show up there in order to make us think that she's not hiding anything, and so that we won't come looking for her. I'm guessing she's going to sneak off after that, while all of us are searching. We'll just have to watch for when she does that, and then follow her."

"Why don't we just tell her as soon as we see her?" Nadeshiko asked.

"Because, if she knows that we know, she might try and ditch us anyway. I have a feeling that she's so worried about her charas that she'll do anything to keep them from getting hurt, even if it's irrational. If she thinks that having us along might put her charas in greater danger, then she might try to leave us behind."

"I don't like it, but... you might have a point, Miyuki-chan. Is there anything else Nikaido said?" Nadeshiko asked.

_Doesn't she believe that I've told her everything? _"No, that's it. I've just got to call the other Guardians now."

"Why don't you let me call Yaya and Kukai?" Nadeshiko suggested. "You can call Tadase-kun."

"Oh, uh, sure." I said. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"All right. Good night, Miyuki-chan." Nadeshiko said before we both hung up. Well, at least now I wouldn't have to call Yaya and Kukai. I dialed Tadase's number next and waited for him to answer.

"Hello?" he asked after several rings.

I got right to the point. "Hey, Tadase-kun. This is Miyuki. There's something I've got to tell you-" I recounted my story, including the fact that I'd already called Nadeshiko. Tadase listened intently, occasionally asking a question or two for clarification. Then I told him about the decision of what we would do in the morning.

"I don't like it either, but I don't think we have a choice." Tadase said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then."

"Yeah, see you then." I replied.

As soon as I hung up, Azami started talking to me. "Well, I guess we're not turning back now." she said.

"Nope." I said, feeling enormously relieved. "I'm just glad I finally made a choice. No matter what happens tomorrow, at least I won't have to listen to Nikaido anymore."

"And what are we going to do about Easter, once we've disobeyed Nikaido?" Azami asked.

I yawned before answering - it was nearly midnight by now, and it had been an eventful day. "Well, the way I see it, there are two possibilities. One - they fire me. In that case, they might try and take back my powers, but I'll try to avoid that if possible. Two - they need me enough that they see if I still want to work for them, despite the Nikaido thing. In that case, I'll keep working. I like power enough to stick around and see what Easter can still do for me, even if it means I might have to betray the Guardians again."

"And what if they try to force you to come back and do as they say?" said Azami. "What if what Ikuto said was true, and they do have a way to control you?"

I shrugged, turned off the light, and crawled in to bed. "After the decision I made tonight, I won't be letting my freedom go again without a fight."

* * *

As agreed upon, we met at the Royal Garden the next day. I got there earlier than yesterday, and Nadeshiko was the only one there by then. She looked tired - it didn't appear as if she'd been able to sleep much last night. Then again, I hadn't had the most restful night either.

"So did Tadase agree with the plan?" asked Nadeshiko.

"Yeah. What about Yaya and Kukai?"

Nadeshiko nodded. "They agreed that that was the best thing to do. We figured that when we split up to look for her eggs, at least one of us would be with Amu. If Amu tried to go off away from that person, then the person would let her, then call the rest of us so that we could follow her."

I agreed. Tadase was the next to arrive, so we told him the plan, which he thought was a good idea. Soon after that, Amu showed up, and we all waited in silence until Kukai and Yaya arrived a few minutes later.

Once we had all gathered, Tadase was once again the one who gave directions. "We should all split up into groups of two - we've already checked the business part of town, and I doubt that Nikaido would be there again. Yamada-san and Yuiki-san, you two can head south from here."

"Okay, Tadase-kun! We'll find the charas in no time!" shouted Yaya enthusiastically. For a moment, I wondered if she'd totally forgotten that we already _knew_ where the charas were.

Tadase continued. "Hinamori-san and Fujisaki-san, you both can go east." This was part of the plan - let Amu go towards the part of town where her charas are being held. "Kukai and I will head north. West of here is densely populated, for the most part, and probably not the best place for secret experiments. We'll call each other if we find anything, and if we don't eat anything by midday, we can meet back here and discuss where to search next."

"All right, Miyuki-chi! Let's go!" Yaya said, grabbing my arm and try to pull me away from the table. I followed, having no reason to stick around at this point. The other groups came after us. As I left, I took one last glance at everyone. It seemed like everyone, though tired, was much more hopeful and determined today. I just hoped that it would last.

* * *

"Miyuki-chi! This is boring! Let's go fight Nikaido now!" Yaya whined. At the moment, we were following a couple blocks behind Amu and Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko was giving us updates via texting over where she was and how their 'search' is going, while we were sending her texts back giving fake updates on our own searches. Tadase and Kukai were probably just a couple blocks north of us, doing the same thing. This way, we wouldn't have to come halfway across town to catch up with Amu when she went to try and save her charas.

"Come on, Yaya - you know we have to wait until Amu leaves." I said. While Yaya was charming in her own babyish way, she could also be supremely annoying. That had to be at least the third time in the past couple minutes that she'd mentioned how boring this is.

Yaya crossed her arms and pouted. "But we've been walking for so long! Yaya's feet are tired!"

I was getting a bit irritable now, after all the whining. Plus, we _had _been walking for over two hours now. That didn't improve my mood. Still, you couldn't just yell at Yaya. That just didn't happen, no matter how annoying she got. "You know, I'm sure something will happen any minute now."

As if in response, my phone vibrated as a text came in. I opened my phone, expecting the same old 'we're on 54th street - still no sign of the charas' from Nadeshiko. So I was slightly surprised when it actually _was _the text we were waiting for. The text read -

'Amu just asked to split up, and I told her it was a good idea. Temari is following her.'

"What did I say, Yaya? _Now _we can finally catch up with Nadeshiko." Turning to Azami, I said, "You can go catch up with Temari, then one of you can come back to let us know which way Amu is going."

"Maybe." Azami said, before darting off. I could tell that, despite her answer, she was going to do what I had said. She just doesn't like being ordered around.

"All right, let's go." I said as we picked up the pace. I sent a quick text to Nadeshiko, asking where she was. She told us where she was waiting, just three blocks ahead. There was very little traffic on this side of town, so we really didn't have to worry about cars when crossing streets and such. We caught up in just a couple minutes. Tadase and Kukai were already with Nadeshiko when we got there.

"Okay, everyone - she went this way." Nadeshiko said. We started walking, and had gone about a block when Azami found us.

"She's about six blocks ahead right now, and walking fast. You guys catch up - I'll keep a watch from the sky to make sure you don't follow too close behind her." Azami flew up without another word. We picked up our pace. I opened my cell phone and glanced at the time - almost nine thirty. No wonder Amu was moving fast. Still, we were already relatively close to the building. At this pace, we'd be able to reach it in time.

Twenty-five minutes of walking later, and we had arrived. Amu stood out in front of the gates, looking a bit frightened. I didn't blame her - she was chara-less, and going up against Nikaido. We were back about a block, hiding behind the side of a building. Temari and Azami had already joined us, and all of the charas said that they could sense Su inside the old dorm building, as well as a large amount of X-eggs. As I had already guessed, there was no one else around - no one wanted to live in this neighborhood. The buildings had broken windows, some roofs had holes in them, and the streets were filled with cracks and potholes.

I'd heard all sorts of rumors about why no one lived here any more, all giving logical reasons. But in my opinion, it was because of the now abandoned Easter dorms. I mean, _I _wouldn't want to live with that ominous building glaring down at me my entire life. It was a large, two-story building, surrounded on all sides by a tall brick fence. The big gates consisted of black, metal rods, which pointed up towards the sky. Ivy crawled up the sides of the building, partially concealing the fading paint. All in all, a very creepy place in a decrepit neighborhood - perfect for what Nikaido was trying to do.

"Should we go help her now?" whispered Nadeshiko. When no one responded, I understood that everyone was waiting for me to answer. Then again, I guess I was the one who had come up with most of the plan.

Amu now seemed to gain her courage, and pushed open the unlocked gates. She walked resolutely to the door. "Yeah." I said to the rest of the Guardians. "She needs our help. She won't be able to do anything against Nikaido without her charas."

"Yay! AMU-CHI! Wait for us!" Yaya shouted as she dashed out of hiding. We ran behind her as Amu turned around, looking surprised.

"What are you guys doing here?" Amu asked, looking both relieved and even more afraid.

Kukai gave a thumbs up. "Miyuki heard what Nikaido said to you, and so we came to help out!"

"We couldn't let you face him alone, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko said.

"We'll beat Nikaido together, and get Ran, Miki, and Su back." Tadase said.

Amu smiled her thanks, but then looked more worried. "But Nikaido told me to come alone - what if he does something to my charas now?"

Azami spoke up. "He was going to do something to your charas anyway, even if we didn't come. And how do you think you would have gotten them back, since you can't even character change right now?"

"We're your friends, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko said. "We want to help in any way we can."

Amu smiled, this time with only gratitude. "Everyone... thank you." I stayed quiet throughout this exchange. In all truth, I wondered if I was more afraid than Amu. I mean, my secret was probably going to be revealed. That, added to the fact that I'd probably have to fight Nikaido... let's just say I wasn't feeling as confident as I had been last night.

There was a brief pause before Kukai spurred us on. "Well, come on! Let's do what we came here to do!"

Amu nodded, and turned back around. She walked slowly to the big double doors, then paused for a moment right in front of them, as if working up her courage. Then, she pushed open the doors, and we all gasped.

* * *

Sorry I had to leave you on a cliffy there. This was originally going to be a part of what will now be the next chapter, but that was getting too long. So, I decided to divide it up. And it made sense to go ahead and post this part now. Still expect a good, regular sized update sometime this weekend~! Assuming that I don't have to divide it up again due to length, the next chapter is the climax of Book 1!

Thanks to RedemptionWarrior and yyty225 for reviewing! Also, thanks to Sai and Shii .X-treme for all your great support~!


	30. The Battle Commences!

Amu walked slowly to the big double doors, then paused for a moment right in front of them, as if working up her courage. Then, she pushed open the doors, and we all gasped.

Inside was a large entryway room, with stairs directly in front of us that led up to a second level. But it wasn't this that shocked us. Completely covering the stairs and the floor around the doors was an army of little robots, their eyes glowing purple.

Amu unconsciously took a step back. "There's so many!"

"Their presences feel like X-eggs!" Daichi said.

"They're probably powered by X-eggs.... somehow." Azami said, sounding unsurprised but looking on her guard.

"Hinamori-san, you stand back." Tadase said. "We'll take care of these." by unspoken consent, we all chara-changed and charged at the horde of robots. I felt highly under equipped. Tadase had his scepter, Nadeshiko had her naginata (the spear thing), and Kukai had a skateboard. Even Yaya had her giant rattle. As for me... just my bare hands. Admittedly, I was stronger when I chara-changed, and using fists and claws worked well. But I could really only get rid of one or two at a time while trying to hold the rest back.

All of us fought our hardest. And yet, for every robot we destroyed, it seemed like there were two more to take its place. Only a couple minutes passed, and already it looked like all of us were getting tired. We wouldn't be able to keep up at this pace forever, and already this was taking too long - I doubted Nikaido would just wait for us to get through this obstacle. At this point, though I really didn't want to do it, there really wasn't any other choice.

"Kukai! Yaya! Cover for me for a bit!" I said, since those were the two fighting on either side of me. I fell back until I was standing next to Amu. She was looking at me, worry in her eyes.

I didn't want to chara-nari yet - that would be my absolute last resort. Though I wasn't even sure if my smoke attack would work on robots, I figured I could give it a try. For some reason or another, I had the feeling that I really didn't need to use a hair every time I wanted to do this. Even when just chara-changed, I realized that I now had enough power to make a fire by itself.

I cupped my hands together, and willed a tiny tongue of flame into existence. "Everyone, hold your breath!" I shouted over the action, hoping that they could all hear. Then I let the smoke from the flame grow and spread, until it filled the air. Starting with those closest to me and spreading like a disease, all of the robots slowed and stopped.

"You guys get up first - I'll come up after!" The others nodded and pushed past the robots, up the stairs. Apparently, they had all heard me - none of them had breathed in the smoke. They waited until they were at the top of the stairs, where they could breathe again.

"Come on, Miyuki!" Kukai shouted. I tried to keep the flame going as I moved forward, but it quickly went out due to lack of concentration. The robots around me began moving again, and some tried to grab my legs as I tried to make my way up the stairs to where the Guardians. But their attempts were weak, like they were just waking up; I was easily able to push past them. Once I made it to the top of the stairs, the Guardians looked at me curiously for a couple seconds, undoubtedly wondering when I'd acquired this ability and why I'd never used it before. But they knew that now wasn't the time for explanations.

"They're this way, commoners!" Kiseki said, pointing down the right hallway. We dashed off quickly, getting away from the robots that were making their way back towards us. Azami, Temari, Pepe, and Kiseki all lead the way, doing their best to sense where Ran, Miki, and Su were. Eventually, the charas stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary door.

"This is it!" Daichi said.

We all looked at Amu, who spared no time in opening the door and entering, with the rest of us coming in behind her. We found ourself a fairly large room. Along the side to our left was a bookshelf, as well as some boxes filled with more robots. At the far end of the room, a massive machine stood. The main body of it was a compartment, and on its front side, there was a window. And through that window, we could see hundreds of X-eggs lying within. Adjacent to the machine was a smaller, completely glass container, with one of the sealed white eggs inside - either Miki, Su, or Ran. And on the right side of the room, looking smugly confident, stood Nikaido. He was right in front of a desk, which had his laptop sitting atop it. There was one window to the right of his desk, and another to his left, but both were a ways away from him.

"Himamori-san, I'm so glad you could make it! I was just about to get started. I decided to start with Ran, and if she doesn't work, I'll simply move on to Miki and Su. How does that sound?" He was talking in his annoying teacher voice again. He flashed me a glance, and that told me all I needed to know. He could see that I had abandoned him for the Guardians, and that he would have to fight me as well as them. Nonetheless, his smile didn't waver - he seemed confident that, even without me on his side, he could still win. Nikaido then turned to me, saying what I had been dreading all along. "I must admit, I was expecting more from you, Mizuki-san. But that's of no concern - now that there's an audience, the show can start!"

I cringed back as soon as he had started talking to me, my chara-change fading out of fear. As soon as he said my name, the others turned to look at me, wondering what he was talking about. Their glances differed, though - Amu, Kukai, and Yaya all seemed confused. Tadase looked slightly suspicious. And Nadeshiko's glance was calm, but accusing. I was still staring at Nikaido, my gray eyes locked with his amber eyes. But as soon as he mentioned the show starting, the others turned back to the matter at hand. Nikaido turned his eyes away from me, looked back to his laptop, and began typing something. I noticed that, to the left of the laptop, there was a bird cage with the other two white eggs in it. To the right of the laptop there was small basket, filled with perhaps a dozen or so X-eggs. I guessed this was how he was planning on dealing with the Guardians. And while X-eggs wouldn't have been able to hurt my progress, he'd already shown that he could deal with me - all he had to do was look at me to prove what a coward I was. Even when I had committed myself to fighting against him, I just couldn't work up the courage to face him directly. Not even when I was chara-changed.

"Wait! Give me back my charas!" Amu shouted as the machine began to hum. When he did nothing to stop the machine, she started running across the room, towards the machine. But Nikaido was a step ahead of her. He grabbed four of the X-eggs out of his basket, then he held out his hand. The eggs hovered over it, then sent out a barrage of X-energy, hitting Amu and knocking her to the ground.

"Hinamori-san!" Tadase said, stepping towards her. But then Nikaido aimed the X-energy towards us. Tadase barely got his scepter up in time.

"Holy Crown!" He shouted, stopping it just before it hit us. I looked around, feeling helpless. At the other side of the room, X-energy was beginning to fill the chamber with Ran's egg in it. It looked like a sort of heavy gas, rising from the base of the container as more and more seeped in. The very bottom of the egg was almost touching it. Amu slowly got up from where she had been knocked down.

"I'm dissapointed that the Guardians couldn't do better than this." Nikaido said, reverting back to his evil voice. This gave back some of my courage - I could deal with him, as long as he wasn't talking like he was nice.

Suddenly, Kukai dropped his skateboard on the ground and sped off across the floor. He got about three-fourths of the way down the room, but Nikaido used the X-energy again to knock him off his board. This was to be expected, but what I_ didn't _expect was Kukai's reaction as he was hit; rather than look defeated, he was smiling despite the pain of the blow. Then I heard the crash of shattering glass, and I saw the reason Kukai was grinning. Right before the X-energy had hit him, Kukai must have done something with the board to send it through the air. And since the X-energy was aimed mainly at his torso, not his feet, the board had kept going even when he had been forced off. The board has smashed through the glass of the X-egg chamber. The machine's hum lowered in pitch until finally shutting off. In the compartment with Ran in it, the X-energy drained quickly, but I noticed that it had already made its way about a third of the way up the sealed egg.

"No! You broke my machine!" Nikaido shouted.

Kukai stood up, and Amu stood up as well and joined him. "It's over, Nikaido. Now give back Amu's eggs." Kukai said.

Nikaido smirked, but he had a lot less confidence than before. "Just because my machine is broken doesn't mean I can't build another one. And once it's finished, I think I'll still need Hinamori-san's charas." He grabbed the bird cage with Amu's other two eggs in it, while keeping his four X-eggs hovering above the other hand.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Nadeshiko shouted. She had been chara-changed all this time, and I was surprised that she hadn't done something like this before now. She charged, with her naginata in hand. Nikaido launched his X-energy towards her, knocking her back towards us.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must be going." Nikaido stepped towards the window, apparently going to escape somehow despite the fact that we were on the second floor of the building. However, he stopped as there was another shattering of glass from the opposite side of the room. Kukai, with Amu at his side, had picked up his board again and had used it to break into the compartment that held Ran. I inwardly congratulated them on their quick thinking - if Amu had Ran, then she could chara-nari to save Miki and Su. But as soon as Amu opened the egg, I knew something was wrong. Ran didn't pop out, like the hyper chara she was.

"Ran?" Amu asked tentatively. Even from across the room, I could see that Ran was lying in Amu's cupped hands, looking asleep or... or... well, that was a possibility I didn't want to think about. Ran's outfit, normally such a bright pink, seemed dimmer, and her face was pale.

"Well, there you go." Nikaido said, drawing our attention back to him. "If Ran can survive that contact with concentrated X-energy, then you can feel free to have her back. But, as I said before, I really must go." He started moving towards the window again, which was only a few steps away from him. With Ran unable to chara-nari with Amu, I realized that if Nikaido got away now, we might never be able to save Su and Miki. And I knew that there was no way that any of the other Guardians could get near without being blasted back by Nikaido's X-eggs. The rest of the Guardians knew this, too, and all looked frustrated with their inability to help.

Me, on the other hand - I could get Amu's charas back. I had the power, and the ability. The only question was if I could work up the courage to face him. But whether I'd be able to or not, I knew I had to try.

"Azami?" I said, looking up at her.

"I've got it covered." She replied, as if reading my thoughts. "Chara-change!" That familiar boost of strength gave me just enough courage to face Nikaido. I let my anger towards him flood through me, then converted that into an all-out charge towards him. Whether out of ignorance or forgetfulness, he launched the X-energy at me. I stopped, but wasn't sent flying backward. Rather than hurting me, I absorbed the little spheres of energy, which only caused the X-energy already within me to grow stronger. Nikaido cut off the attack quickly, understanding his mistake too late. I stepped forward again, more confident than before. I was now in front of the window, with Nikaido only a few steps in front of me.

"Mizuki-san, won't you please step aside so I can get past?" Nikaido said, using his teacher voice. Normally this would have been enough to freak out my chara-changed self, but Nikaido had forgotten to take one thing into account - the X-energy. While it was already highly active due to the action, absorbing that last attack had just fueled it. And the current emotions of choice? Anger. Revenge. Rebellion. There was no room for fear now.

"I'd rather not." I said in reply. I stayed at my position in front of the window for the moment, waiting to see what he would do next.

He scowled, but didn't seem too phased. "Another disappointment. Still, I think I can go on without your cooperation." The X-eggs continued to hover near him as he reached into his pocket and grabbed something. It was a small, spherical white object, but I didn't have any idea what it was supposed to do.

Nikaido acted like he was going to throw it at the floor, but he was once again interrupted when a surprised yell came from the other side of the room.

When we all turned our attention back to the area where the machine was, we saw that Amu was on the ground, still clutching Ran. Kukai was holding his skateboard in his hands, facing the machine and looking defensive. And coming from the machine, a massive blob of the partly gas, partly liquid X-energy was forming in mid-air.

"While we had our backs turned, this... thing knocked Amu down!" Kukai said. He tensed, preparing to defend if another attack were to come his way.

Suddenly, smoke billowed up around us, and the others started coughing. My eyes adjusted almost immediately, and I could see that Nikaido had dropped the white sphere onto the floor. That answered what it was - I suppose he just liked to use smoke bombs.

Through his cover of smoke, Nikaido said, "That's a blob of concentrated X-energy. I'm sure it'll finish you all off for me." And, changing to his teacher voice for a moment, he added, "Have fun!"

Nikaido started to back away, heading towards a window on the other side of his desk. I heard a shout of protest from Kukai, and looked through the smoke to see that he was being held against the wall by the X-energy, with two smaller blobs of darkness acting like manacles, strapping his wrists to the wall. The rest of the mass of X-energy - which seemed to be getting bigger by the second - extended towards his feet and began to engulf him. Kukai's struggling all but vanished as his motivation was sucked away.

My anger was rising ever higher, and with it growing, any forethought I had vanished. Nikaido was going to escape, the Guardians were helpless in the smoke, and the X-energy was going to attack them. Consequences didn't matter anymore - this was the situation, and it seemed enough a reason to reveal myself one step farther.

"My own heart - unlock!" I said, activating my chara-nari. Azami entered her egg, and I pulled her into myself. Even more power seemed to reveal itself as the changes manifested. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was finished.

"Chara-nari: Dark Dragon!" I looked around, ready for a fight. It didn't even seem like the Guardians knew what had just happened; they were still attempting to breathe and see through the smoke. The X-energy had made it's way up to Kukai's hips, and his face looked unnaturally pale. But he would have to wait - Nikaido, despite the smoke, was rapidly making his way to the window. Being too close to the wall to open my wings, I ran at him, intending a full-blown tackle. Nikaido heard and sped up, trying to get to the window before I could catch him. But matched against my character transformation, Nikaido was nothing. I slammed into his back, sending him tumbling to the ground. The X-eggs darted away, but he kept a hold of the cage with Miki and Su in it. Still, he was too stunned to keep me from wrenching it from his grasp. I looped the end of my tail through the handle at the top - I would let them out as soon as possible, but for the moment I had to save Kukai.

"You stay right there - I'll deal with you in a minute." I said threateningly to Nikaido. Then I faced the next task - getting rid of the X-energy. The first thing I did was open my wings and flap. Hard. The smoke cleared within seconds, allowing the Guardians to see again. I wanted them to be able to defend themselves, since I wasn't sure what the battle with a massive, non-solid blob of energy might turn out as. Unfortunately, that also meant that they could see me in my chara-nari. But at the moment, that hardly seemed as important.

"Yamada-san... what.... how did you chara-nari?" Tadase asked, almost at a loss for words.

"Yeah! Cool, Miyuki-chi! Yaya wants to transform, too!" Yaya said.

"I'll explain later. For now, we've got to deal with that thing." I said, gesturing to the X-energy. Then I turned to Amu, who had got back up from where she had been knocked down. She still held Ran, who remained motionless. Since her hands were full with that, I looked back to Tadase. "Here - catch." I flicked my tail, sending the cage through the air, directly to him. He caught, and once he comprehended what I'd just thrown, he started opening the cage to release the two charas, who were still trapped in Nikaido's artificial eggs.

I now faced the blob again. By now, it was fully out of it's container, and stood at least a foot taller than me. The small appendage of darkness that was slowly overcoming Kukai had now made it's way up to his chest - if it was left for a little longer, I didn't want to think about what would happen. Already, Kukai was hanging limply from the shadowy shackles, but he didn't appear to be unconscious. His eyes were downcast, and it looked like he was perhaps mumbling something to himself. Next to him, Daichi's egg floated, but it was dimmer in color than usual, and getting darker by the second.

Every time in the past I'd had to deal with X-eggs, my smoke had worked well. So that's what I decided to try now. I moved forward until I was just five feet or so away from it. Then, in a low voice so the Guardians hopefully wouldn't hear it, I muttered, "Hopeless Haze." A large black flame sprang up in the palm of my hand, and I directed the large amount of smoke coming from it towards the X-energy blob. The blob stopped almost immediately, and all of the energy around Kukai dissipated, causing him to fall limply to the floor. Inwardly, I congratulated myself.

But then, I realized something was wrong. Rather than it calming down, as I had expected, it seemed to grow more agitated. And, to my horror, it rapidly began to grow, absorbing my haze into itself. I quickly doused my flame, but it had already grown at least another foot taller by the time all the smoke was gone. And once it had absorbed it all, it grew angry. Despite the fact that it made no noise whatsoever, I could feel the wrath coming from it... almost like a hunger. Readying myself, I raised my hands in front of me, and shadowy fire engulfed both of them. Perhaps my haze hadn't worked, but I could get a lot more aggressive than that. My heart was racing: partly from excitement, partly from worry, and partly due to the Darkness that was surging in my body.

As if it couldn't control its rage any longer, the blob surged forward - directly towards me. "Let him have it!" Azami encouraged.

I was already one step ahead of her. With barely two feet between us, I swept my hands towards the blob and shouted, "Blazing Rain!" A barrage of black flames hit the thing directly on, but it absorbed it and grew even larger still. In a moment of revelation, I realized what was wrong. It was just like when X-energy hit me - since I already had some inside me, all I did was grow stronger from being hit. And since my attacks must be at least partly composed of X-energy, and since I was attacking something that was made out of concentrated X-energy... well, it made sense that all I was doing was making it harder to beat.

Before I had a chance to even think about dodging in some way, the full force of the charging blob hit me. I was sent flying backwards through the air, falling to the ground a few feet away. I tried to get back up, but almost as soon as I had hit the ground, I found that dark manacles like the ones that had held Kukai were around my wrists and ankles, keeping me on the floor. Then I saw the blob itself slowly approaching, as if knowing that its prey had no means of escape. I attempted to absorb the manacles since they were made of X-energy, but it didn't work. It was as if the energy used to make them had solidified, making me somehow unable to take them into myself. My wings were pinned beneath my back, and though I tried whacking the restraints off of me with my tail, I couldn't break through. The blob stopped right in front of my feet, and then I saw a tentacle of the ghostly goo reach towards my feet - just like it had done with Kukai.

"LET GO OF MIYUKI!"

"Get away from Miyuki-chi, you big meany!"

Nadeshiko and Yaya charged forward, intent on saving me. Nadeshiko drove her naginata into the center of the blob. Yaya's giant rattle appeared above her own head, and she swung it down as hard as she could on top of the beast. The blob paused, halting its tentacle right above my feet. I was hopeful for a second, but then I noticed that their weapons had simply stuck into the creature. If anything, the thing was simply annoyed right now - not harmed. It whipped the tentacle towards its attackers, sending both of them flying. It let the weapons drop from its gooey body, then the tentacle turned back towards me and wrapped itself around my feet.

As soon as it made contact, my character transformation disappeared and all of my X-energy left. But no, it wasn't gone - as if by instinct, it had withdrawn so deeply within me that even I could hardly feel it. I could feel coldness crawling up my legs, and looked down to see that I was being enveloped by the darkness. And, stranger than that, I could feel it almost sucking at the X-energy within me, trying and failing to absorb it into itself. That was why it had abandoned Kukai and attacked me instead - it had felt the power in my attacks, and it apparently wanted that power for itself. At the moment, it was unsuccessful, but I could slowly feel my will to resist crumbling.

_Everything is useless, anyway. I mean, I'll never be able to get out of this. No matter how much I try to keep it from overcoming me, it's going to defeat me. And even if I somehow got away, the Guardians will probably figure out that I've been betraying them all this time, and they'll hate me... my best friend already had her egg taken away because of me. I don't even deserve the power of my X-energy... I should just give it up..._

I heard Tadase saying something to Amu, but it all seemed distant and far off. None of it mattered to me. There was nothing I could do. There was nothing anyone could do. I looked up and saw Azami's egg floating next to me, with the normally vivid flame pattern growing less and less distinct. I looked downward, and saw that the X-energy had made its way up to my hips. Sooner or later, I'd be fully consumed. First it would suck the X-energy out of me, and then... well, I didn't know what it would do. I didn't care anymore. It was all useless in the end.

Suddenly, I was jerked out of my daze as a wave of bright colors hit the tentacle at its base, slicing it off and causing the engulfing darkness to fade from my body. Azami popped out of her egg, but sank to the ground and sat there, saying nothing. The manacles binding me disappeared, but I continued to lay where I was. I had already been brought partly into the depths of hopelessness, and it would take a while for me to pull myself back out. Still, it had woken me up enough for me to watch what was going on.

As soon as it was hit, the monster made its first noise - a sort of rumbling roar. Then it rushed towards Amu, who had character transformed into Amulet Spade.

"Colorful Canvas!" She shouted, attacking with more of the rainbow-colored energy. The blob stopped, seeming to shrink a bit due to the attack. It roared, then charged forward again. Amu jumped out of the way, then sent another attack at its back. The thing roared, then turned around and lunged towards her again. It seemed quicker this time, and Amu wasn't ready to defend herself. She braced herself for the blow, unable to launch another attack in time.

"Holy Crown!" Tadase shouted as he dashed up to Amu's side. The golden light shot forth, creating a wall between the blob and them.

"You need to purify it, Hinamori-san!" Tadase said through gritted teeth as he continued to hold back the assault.

"I know!" She replied, "But I don't think I can purify something that big!"

"I can help, desu~." Su said, joining them. "Let me switch with Miki, desu~."

Amu nodded. Her body was immediately surrounded by light, which vanished in a couple seconds to reveal Amu as Amulet Clover. It was then that the X-energy blob broke through Tadase's shield, but Amu was ready this time.

"Remake Honey!" She said, aiming her cooking whisk at the creature. An enormous glob of honey fired towards the blob, completely encasing it and stopping its advance. Other blobs splattered off of the main one, going in the directions they needed to go - a little bit went to Kukai, another little bit to Ran (whom Nadeshiko was currently holding), and a whole lot splashed onto the X-eggs that were still lying in the machine. The equivalent of a couple of cups of the honey landed on my arm. And while it did wake me up more completely, it wasn't very pleasant. Once it touched me, the X-energy came back from hiding with a vengeance. My arm burned where the honey stuck, and I could practically feel the two opposing forces attacking each other through my skin. I used my other hand to quickly brush it off, but while it lessened the pain on arm, my hand now began to experience the searing pain as well. I managed to wipe the rest of it off onto the floor, but when I looked back to my arm and hand, both were a bright, blotchy red. Azami floated up from the ground to look at the wounds, acting calm. But I knew she had felt the pain, too.

When I looked up from her, I saw that the blob was gone and hundreds of eggs of the heart floating around in mid air. One by one, the disappeared - I guessed they were going back to their rightful owners. But before I knew it, one zoomed out of the group right at me, hitting me directly in the middle of the forehead. I rubbed my head and looked forward to see an egg of the heart. To be specific, it was a creamy white egg, with a light blue pencil in the center: Mai's egg. My heart soared. But as soon as I had identified it, it circled rapidly around my head a couple of times, then disappeared like the rest. I practically couldn't believe it - Mai's egg was okay. Which meant that she could live her dreams again.

But then I realized that something else was going on, and I turned my attention to the Guardians. On the other side of the room, they were all huddled around Amu. I walked up and joined them, and at the center, Amu held Ran in her hands.

"Ran?" Amu asked, almost in a whisper.

Ran didn't respond. She still looked dim, despite the remake honey. I looked at Kukai and Daichi, then at myself and Azami. We had all recovered - why was Ran still unconscious? I wondered, just for a moment, if she was dead. But that was silly; a chara couldn't die. Could it?

Miki and Su stood on either side of Ran, looking worried. "Ran, why don't you wake up, desu~?" Su said.

"Come on, Ran. We beat Nikaido and the X-energy." Miki said. "You need to celebrate with us."

"Amu-chi, maybe Ran just needs to rest! You know, like a baby!" Yaya said encouragingly.

"Maybe..." Amu said, sounding unconvinced.

Nadeshiko turned around and glared at something behind me. I turned to see that Nikaido was still here, but he was standing right next to an open window. He had his laptop in one hand, and he seemed prepared to leave at any moment. And he was close enough to the window that we wouldn't be able to stop him.

Though quieter due to the fact that she was no longer chara-changed, Nadeshiko's voice was filled with anger. "What's wrong with Ran? And how do we get her back to normal?"

Nikaido shrugged uncaringly, then spoke in his evil voice. "As I said, she was in direct contact with concentrated X-energy - even more concentrated than the thing that attacked all of you. If one of Hinamori's annoying, goody-two-shoe attacks didn't help, then there's little chance she'll ever wake up. But that's of little concern to me."

"I think I can help." Came a small voice from the other side of the room. We turned again, and saw a shugo chara floating towards us. He was sort of dressed like a scientist, with a lab coat and big, round glasses. His hair was dark blue, and in one hand he held a little yellow wrench. "I'm good at fixing things."

I looked at everyone else, but it didn't seem like anyone knew who the chara was. It floated right up to Ran, and all of us held our breath, waiting to see if he could really help Ran. He lightly touched the end of his wrench to her forehead, and held it there as it began to glow. Slowly but surely, the color came back to Ran. When she seemed back to normal, the unidentified chara lifted his wrench away and stood back. Ran opened her eyes and sat up, while all of us gave a sigh of relief.

Rubbing her head, she looked around, her eyes showing her confusion. "What's going on? Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

Amu smiled, her eyes looking on the verge of tears. "We're all just happy you're all right."

The unknown chara then floated away from us, straight towards Nikaido. We all watched in amazement. Surely this couldn't be... Nikaido's chara?

"I'm glad we finally got to meet." The little chara said. Nikaido seemed in shock, unable to say anything in response to the chara in front of him. "But now that I've helped them out, I really have to go now. I'll see you again!" A light golden egg appeared around the chara, but due to the fact that his back was turned to us, we couldn't see what the symbol on the front was. Then, the egg vanished.

Nikaido stood there, staring at the spot where his long-lost chara had just been. "I thought... you had broken... I had to face reality... I had to win..." He said, talking to himself.

"Win what?" asked Amu, surprising me. This man had just kidnapped her charas and nearly killed Ran - how could she be talking to him so casually?

Nikaido snapped out of his reverie, realizing that we were listening. He looked off at the ceiling, as if no longer able to meet our eyes. "Well... You know..."

"Can't you remember?" Amu asked.

Nikaido crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter anyway. My chara just left again. That proves that dreams are useless. I've already chosen a different path."

"But Nikaido-sensei," Su said, floating over. "He said 'see you later.' That means he'll come back someday. All you have to do is keep working towards your dream, desu~."

Nikaido seemed surprised at this revelation. When he didn't say anything for a while, Tadase spoke to the rest of us. "Let's get going, everyone. We got the charas back, so there's little else to do." By some unspoken recognition, it seemed that everything was forgiven between us and Nikaido. And when I looked at him one last time before we left, there was something definitely changed about him. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but... it seemed like the evil in him was gone. Or, at least, buried so far within him that it wouldn't be a problem any longer.

We walked through the house and out the door, talking to Amu's charas and making sure they were completely all right. But as soon as we were out of the building and on our way home, Kukai looked to me and brought up the subject that everyone was most interested in.

"So, are you going to tell us what all that awesome stuff you did was all about?"

I looked at the ground, while everyone else stared expectantly at me. "It's kind of a long story." I said.

"We've got a long walk back." Tadase pointed out.

"Come on, Miyuki-chi! How long have you been able to chara-nari!?!" Yaya shouted.

"What! Miyuki did a chara-nari?" Ran said. "Why'd I have to miss this?"

"Tell us, Miyuki!" Amu encouraged, smiling. "I couldn't have fought off that thing if you hadn't attacked it while I recovered my senses. I was so worried after seeing Ran that I almost wasn't able to fight again."

"And who knows what would have happened if you hadn't gotten it away from Daichi and me!" Kukai said. "Thanks for that, by the way."

Well, I was going to have to tell them _something_. All I had to decide was whether I would tell them the truth or not. I decided that, since Nikaido hadn't given away that much, I might be able to get away with lying. But I didn't know if I could tell a lie this big without Azami's help. The problem with that would be that they would notice a chara-change, and they might wonder why I would need to chara-change just to explain.

I think Azami knew what I was thinking, and she came to my rescue. "Being shy about something isn't an emotion a dragon should have. But if you insist on being so reluctant to talk about it, I guess I'll have to make you talk. Chara-change!"

I made a mental note to thank Azami for this later. But, seeing as I now had both the boldness and the cunning to lie, I started with my story. "Well, I think it was a week or two after I came to Seiyo that I first character transformed. Me and Azami had found that we both have a sort of... addiction to flight, and the best way we could do that was jumping off roofs. One night, I had just jumped from the top of the building, and I realized too late that it was too tall - I wouldn't be able to land without hurting myself. Halfway down, Azami and I just seemed to synch up or something, and I character transformed. My wings saved me." Though I wasn't looking any of them in the eyes, I tried to transfer the persuasive power I normally had in my gaze into my voice.

"But why didn't you tell us earlier, Yamada-san?" Tadase asked.

"Well... maybe you didn't notice it in the smoke and confusion back there, but when I character transform, it's not like when Amu does it. Rather than having a glow around me, I'm surrounded by shadows. And when I'm character transformed, my presence is like one massive X-egg - according to Azami, it's like what the charas sense when they feel an X-egg, only bigger. Everything about my chara-nari is dark, and I was worried that you guys... I don't know. That maybe you guys would think I was evil or something, and that you wouldn't want me around anymore."

"That's stupid of you, Miyuki." Kukai said jokingly. "I mean, you practically just saved all of us! Who knows if we'd even been able to get past those first robots without you! Even if your chara-nari seems dark, we know you're not evil."

_How utterly wrong can you get? _I wondered.

"Speaking of those robots, what was that smoke attack you used?" Tadase asked. "You were able to do that while chara-changed, Yamada-san. Why haven't you used that before?"

"Out of curiosity, Azami actually had me use the attack once before. She knew I could do something, but she didn't know what exactly would happen." I said, still tremendously glad for the chara-change. "But when I did, everyone around me got all gloomy and depressed. I stopped it right away. I was afraid that it might even draw out an X-egg from someone, but everyone there recovered after a few minutes, and no X-eggs came out. I just had a hunch to use it today, and it definitely seemed to have some sort of an effect on those robots."

"So what about that night you got all scratched up?" Amu asked. "Do you really remember nothing?"

I looked at the ground, faking shame. "I felt really bad about lying about that, but the fact is that I do remember it. The only reason was that I wanted to hide the fact that I could character transform, for the reasons I said earlier. The truth is, I was walking around that night when Ikuto showed up. He made fun of me and Azami, so we got angry and character-transformed. He did his own chara-nari, and we fought for a bit. He managed to get the upper hand, and that's when he scratched up my arm. I think he left when he saw Tadase and Nadeshiko coming."

"And what about what Nikaido said to you when we first came into that room today?" Nadeshiko questioned. "He said that he expected more from you, or something to that extent."

I figured faking ignorance would be the best way to deal with this. "I don't know. It seemed like he knew a lot about us - perhaps he already knew that I could chara-nari, and he was expecting me to do that, despite my worries about you guys would think. Maybe he wanted more of a challenge. As I said, I really don't know. Just something about him today completely freaked me out. I got over it eventually, but at that point in time, he scared me half to death. And while it did feel like he was challenging me or something, I was still worried about what you guys would think about my chara-nari."

"Miyuki, we're your friends." Amu said. "No matter what your character transformation might be like, we know that you're not like that."

"Yeah!" Yaya shouted. "You should have told us earlier! I can't believe you've been able to chara-nari all this time and you never showed us!"

"I doubt you can control what your chara-nari is like, anyway." Kukai said.

For some reason, Tadase chara-changed. "A king will always look out for his loyal subjects! You commoners should never be afraid to tell anything to your kind and understanding king!" Then his crown disappeared, and he mumbled his apologies. We all laughed, but as my own chara-change faded, guilt set in.

_They're all completely wrong. I _am _like my character transformation, and I _did _more or less choose what it is like. I'm a horrible friend, lying to them like this. But... but the lie is my burden to bear. As long as they don't know about it, they won't be hurt. Who knows? Maybe they'll never have to know. Plus, I finally stood up to Nikaido. _A smile came to my face as that fact finally set in. I _had _actually stood up to him. And I beat him. A lot of bad stuff had nearly happened today, but at least two good things came out of this whole mess. One, as I said, was that Nikaido was now out of the picture - I'd no longer have to take any orders from him. And two: Mai's egg was back, and she should be back to normal. Maybe I'd have to go on lying, but I'd live with it.

_After all the action of the past couple days... I just want things to go back to normal._ I nearly laughed as I thought about that. _Yeah, right - like things could ever be normal with Azami and the Guardians around._

* * *

And the climax of book 1 is over! I'm going to post my own opinion on how this chapter went on my profile, so if you're curious, you can read it. Please review, telling me how you liked it! (or disliked it...)

As I said before, I will have one more chapter. And I'm sorry, but it's going to be somewhat of a flashback chapter. Perhaps you don't want it, but I need it to get my thoughts and Miyuki's thoughts in order. There _will _be more to it than just flashbacks, so I'm hoping it won't be too bad. However, I won't be posting it until I finish chapter one of book 2, so that I'll be able to post a link to book two at the end of the chapter. Due to this, as well as me having finals this week and leaving on a short trip away from home soon, I may not be able to get them out for a while yet. I'll try my best, and I'll post a temporary author's note if I'm unable to get it out by next weekend. But after that, summer will have started, and I shall (hopefully) have all the time in the world to write!


	31. Reminiscence

*Note - a lot of the first part of this chapter is just recalling the events up to this point. I won't feel offended if you decide to skim over it, though I encourage you to read it; it's helped me to clear up a lot of things in my head, and it's quite likely to help you as well, if you've forgotten some things since the start of this fanfic about five months ago.*

* * *

"Azami, what do you think I should get for the Guardians?" I asked as I walked through the mall. It was the day before Christmas, and I had only remembered today that I really needed to get something for everyone. Money wasn't an issue - I had plenty from working for Easter - but as I passed store after store, I hardly no idea as to what I could actually buy for them.

Azami shrugged. "I haven't got the slightest clue. The only things that dragons really like are treasure hoards, though I kind of doubt that they'd need that."

I sighed. "Thanks for the great advice."

"Well, it can't be too hard. I mean, there's a ton of stores here. And they say it's the thought that counts, anyway." Azami said.

"We've already been looking for an hour."

"But you haven't even gone into any of the stores." Azami pointed out. "If you just actually _try _to look harder, then maybe we can finish early and get out of here more quickly."

"I know, I know... I'm just not in the mood for shopping right now." I said.

Azami flew around my head. "Then let's do something else."

"But I've gotta get presents!"

"But nothing." Azami said. "Let's go eat lunch or something, and then if you can get in the mood so that you're actually looking, _then _we can try again."

My stomach grumbled at the mention of lunch. "Yeah, that might help. Where should we eat?"

We ended up deciding on a popular fast food restaurant. I ordered a chicken sandwich thing, with some fries for Azami to snack on. I ate slowly. My mind seemed preoccupied with other things. I suppose that was partially due to all the action from just a couple days ago. For that matter, perhaps it was from all the action I'd had these past few months since Azami had hatched.

Once I had finished eating, I picked up my cell phone. Not like I needed to call anyone - I was simply going to pretend I was talking into it. I did this every now and then when I needed to talk to Azami in public, and when I didn't want to deal with the uncomfortable glances of people thinking that I'm crazy.

"Azami, do you remember when you first hatched?" I asked, feeling slightly stupid.

Azami dropped the fry she was holding and glared at me. "You mean you've been distracted all this time because you feel like _reminiscing_? I must have told you a hundred times that a dragon lives in the present! I don't want to waste my time here if all you're going to do is go off into some stupid daydream."

"Actually, I started keeping a tally of how many times you've said that." I replied. "If I remember correctly, that's somewhere around time number fifty-two that you've told me to live in the present. A hundred is a bit of an exaggeration."

Azami rolled her eyes. "And yet, you never seem to listen. Anyway, as I said, if all you're going to do is sift through your recollections, then I'm leaving."

"Aw, come on, Azami! I think I've just got to get this out of my system, and then I'll never need to mention it again. But since I can't talk about it all with Amu or Mai, I've got to turn to you."

Azami shook her head. "Forget it. I'll catch up with you in a while. You can talk to yourself, and get it out of your system that way. _I _don't want to have to put up with it for however long it takes you to sort through all your thoughts." And with that, she flew off to who knows where.

_Well... I'm still not in the mood for shopping. I guess I might as well think on my own._

I threw away the wrapping from my sandwich and the last of the fries, and then began wandering around the mall.

"Well... I guess it didn't all start with Azami's hatching. It started on the first day I went to Seiyo... the day I found the egg." I said to myself as I walked, barely mumbling the words so that no one else would notice that I was talking to myself. I just needed to voice what I was thinking. If I just thought about it, I'd probably get hopelessly sidetracked.

"So... that first day. I was so excited when I found Azami's egg. I got to school, and Amu showed up late... and that's when I first saw a shugo chara. I was so confused then, but still completely happy. Up until then, I'd had to make my own excitement - even if it meant having to light a few explosive chemicals." I laughed a bit at the thought. "After school, I finally got to talk to Amu, and then I met all the Guardians. If anything, their explanation about everything confused me even more. But I understood it all eventually. Even then, while she was still in her egg, Azami still managed to make trouble. Hitting Kiseki after calling her a commoner... that was so great. I had more fun that day then I could ever remember before."

I reflected over those good memories for a couple minutes, but then a shred of doubt entered my thoughts. "But even then, I was planning on betraying them. I don't think I necessarily wanted to hurt them, but... But they were all so goody-goody. I wanted more than that. And I still want more than that. At least, I think I do."

I shook that train of thought from my head, then continued going through the events of the past. "Later that night was when Azami hatched... that was amazing. And especially that whole chara-change experience. No matter what has happened since then, or what might happen in the future, I doubt I will ever regret having Azami as my shugo chara. Perhaps I would be better off with a nicer would-be self, but... well, to be honest, that's simply not as fun."

"And then the next day... the next day was when we learned about Easter. I didn't have any misgivings then about joining up with the evil guys. It was something I'd wanted to do for so long. If I had the chance, would I do it again? Would I risk my friendship with the Guardians just for power and a bit of evil 'fun'? But... I don't think answer that question. Unless I really had the choice again, I don't know how I'd really act. But if I had to decide, based on what I know now... I think I would. The Guardians are important to me, but I'd hate myself forever if I gave up the dark side of me that I know is there."

"But anyway, then... I don't know how soon, but sometime after that I had a really busy day. I met Mai in the morning. I hardly cared about who she was at the time, but now look at us. After school I ended up wandering to the planetarium. That was a really magnificent place. And I met that guy... what was his name? I think it was Amakawa, or something like that. Maybe he was a bit odd, but now that I think about it, his prediction had been kind of accurate. I wish I could remember more of what he said now. Then later that night, I met Ikuto. So many emotions... but what were they, really? Just anger and mischievousness, or something more?"

I shook my head for a moment at the thought, then noticed my surroundings for the first time in a while. I had only a vague idea as to where I was in the mall, but it didn't really matter. Right next to me was an ice cream shop (with really good ice cream, if I remembered correctly), and so I decided to stop in and get an ice cream cone. Once I paid for my double-fudge chocolate ice cream (I really like chocolate ice cream), I kept walking around the mall, hoping that there wasn't some rule about eating outside of the food court.

Between bites of ice cream, I continued on to where my memories began to grow unpleasant. "Right after that, I got my power from Easter. It's led to a lot of bad things happening and many hard choices, but that had to be the best day of my life. With that power, I was able to character transform with Azami. We flew for a long time that day... the feeling was indescribable. It wasn't just the freedom that came with flight - it was also the complete confidence in myself that I got from the chara-nari, as well as my new X-energy fueled power coursing through my veins."

"The next thing that happened was the revelation of Nikaido as evil. I'd never noticed his less-than-nice self before then, but once I knew about it, I was never comfortable around him again. I only wish I knew why. I mean, I'm bothered by next to nothing; snakes, spiders, the dark - I actually rather like all those things, and I am certainly not afraid of them. So why my irrational fear of Nikaido?"

Something tugged at my memory, as if in response to my question. I paused in my walking for a moment, attempting to figure out just what it was. But the more I thought about it, the farther away it seemed to drift. In the end, I licked up the ice cream that was beginning to drip down the side of the cone, then continued on my way.

It took me about a minute to figure out where I had been in my recollections, and what came next. But once I figured it out, I grinned. "Next was that whole conflict with Ikuto... perhaps it didn't end all that pleasantly for me, but I have to admit that having a real battle was kind of fun. Though I feel kind of bad that I hurt Ikuto..." I mentally shook myself. "But he was the one who mocked Azami and me, and a dragon certainly doesn't take that sort of talk from a cat! But now that I think about it, that was the first time that my X-energy gave me trouble - with Azami's help, it practically forced me to chase after Ikuto. Then all that depressing poetry Nikaido assigned me started my main problems with the X-energy. Making me feel like there was no point in living. Definitely not pleasant, but if that's the price of my X-energy, then I can live with it. Plus, I haven't had to worry about it for a while - I wonder if I'm getting better at controlling it?" I decided that that had to be the case. Now that I realized it, it seemed like a huge accomplishment. I had my power, and I was able to keep it from overwhelming me. Most of the time. Perhaps I was misjudging the facts, but I had a good feeling that I was right. But whether I was right or not, I continued with my recollections.

"I got more X-energy sometime soon after that, and that was when I met Hoshina Utau. But since I'm hardly ever in the Easter building itself, I've never really talked to her since then. I wonder what she's like? And how did she get involved with Easter? Now that I think about it, I also have no idea why Ikuto was working for them. Next time I see either of them, I'll try to remember to ask."

"And then... that night in the park, when I ran into Ikuto and Yoru. They told me that Easter has some way to control me. I'm still worried about that. But if it was true, why didn't Nikaido use it to threaten me when I betrayed him? It would've meant that his scheme would have worked. I think Nikaido may be prideful, but not so much that he would fight me if he could control me instead. Ikuto _must _have been lying; there's no other explanation for it. Still, I'll stay on my guard - even if Ikuto was lying specifically about that, I'm sure Easter will do whatever they can to get power over me, especially after that whole thing with Nikaido."

"That next morning was weird - I had completely forgotten everything that had happened the night before. Without Azami, I would have no idea that it had occurred. Azami was probably right: I must have forced myself to forget something that was too unpleasant to think about. But if I was able to forget that, who knows what else I've forgotten from before Azami hatched or whenever she wasn't around? That worries me almost as much as the thought of Easter controlling me, but I suppose there's nothing I can do about it. And who knows? Maybe that really _was _the first time I'd made myself forget."

I finished off my ice cream, then sat down on a bench. I was somewhere near the center of the mall, where four of the main hallways intersected. By now, my train of thought was organized enough that I stopped talking to myself - the next part was almost too difficult to speak aloud, anyway.

_Then things began to spiral out of my control. Under the influence of the X-energy, I actually attacked Amu and Ikuto. But I still wonder if there isn't some part of me other than the Darkness that truly wanted to do it. I don't _think _that I'm in love with Ikuto, but what if it was jealousy that motivated me? But that's really silly. Ikuto has got to be at least five years older than me, and a know-it-all annoying pervert to boot. There's something about me that's attracted to him, I'll admit. But... Now that I think about it... It's not love. Deep down, I know it's not. As Azami always says, a dragon doesn't need anyone. And while maybe that's true for the dragon part of me, what about the human part? I know I'm trying to get rid of that human part, but still... what if I fall in love before it's totally gone? That is, can I even completely eliminate my emotions? Do I really want to get rid of my emotions anymore?_

I shook my head, clearing it. Those questions would simply lead on to more and more, none of them answerable.

_And after that, I actually took Mai's egg. I told her that her dream was useless, then took the X-egg that resulted. Even though I didn't want to. But why was it that I wouldn't bring myself to do more or less the same thing to Amu? _

I thought about it for a while.

_Do I simply like Amu more? No, that can't be it. If anything, the opposite is true: if I had to choose any one person as my best friend, it would probably be Mai. So why could I take Mai's egg, and not aid Nikaido in kidnapping Ran, Miki, and Su? Is it because I actually knew Amu's charas, while I've never met Mai's chara? Perhaps that's part of it, but it seems like there's something more. I think... I think that I saw each one as deciding a different thing for me. When I took Mai's egg, it was seeing whether or not I could_ _abandon a friend for power. And I was able to. No matter how horrible a thing I did, I don't regret it. Then, when I was faced with whether or not to aid Nikaido in taking Amu's egg, the decision of power or friends had already been made. So that was when I had to make a different decision: whether to let myself be ordered around or not. I chose not. If he had asked for Amu's charas first, and then Mai's egg, maybe it would have turned out differently. Maybe Amu would have been the one betrayed by me, and Mai would have been the one I refused to betray._

"Mizuki-san! Is that you?" I flinched involuntarily and jerked back to reality. Walking down the nearest hallway was none other than Nikaido. But something was different about him. Something about his tone of voice, the way he held himself, the smile on his face... They were all extremely minute differences, but to someone like me who had been fine-tuned to him for some time, I noticed. Just like I had thought when I had last seen him, the evil undertone was gone. Now he wasn't just _acting_ cheerful and goofy - he _was _cheerful and goofy. It made a massive difference to me. Absolutely nowhere in me was there any fear. Still, I couldn't help but wonder just how awkward a conversation with him might be right now.

"What a coincidence that I would see you here!" Nikaido said once he'd finished his walk over to me. I stood up, so that we could talk on a more even level.

"Uhh... yeah." I said. As I'd thought, it was incredibly uncomfortable to talk to someone who had been your evil boss up until a few days ago. "I'm here Christmas shopping. Why are _you _here?"

"Oh, there's at least one person I'm planning on getting a gift for." Nikaido said. "I also saw that there was a sale on novelty ties, and I wanted to get a couple."

I really wasn't sure if he was joking or not. "Who are you getting a gift for?" I asked, curious.

"Anyway, as long as you're here, would you like to know what happened with Easter after my failed experiment?" He asked, completely ignoring my last question.

I was slightly annoyed that he wouldn't answer me, but I'll admit I was curious about Easter. They hadn't gotten in touch with me yet, and up until now I hadn't had any contact with Nikaido. At the very least, Nikaido didn't seem angry with me about what I did. "I _would _ like to know what happened." I admitted. "Did you tell them about everything that happened?"

Nikaido nodded. "I told them about my failed experiment. Since I'd used a lot of Easter's money on the project, I was fired."

"So do they know that I..." I tried to think of the right way to phrase this. "... That I didn't exactly follow orders?"

"Yes, Mizuki-san. I could have just told them that there was something wrong with the machine, but I didn't see any reason not to tell the truth." Nikaido said.

_Thanks. Now that you're a good guy, you couldn't help me out a bit and lie?_ "So do they still want me to work for them?" I asked.

"I believe so. I think the manager mentioned something about putting you under the orders of someone else, but maybe I'm just imagining things."

"Do you know if they have any way of keeping me in line?" I asked, desperately hoping he'd say no.

Nikaido thought for a moment. "My mind suddenly seems rather fuzzy on that topic. I'm not sure if they do or if they don't, Mizuki-san."

_Oh, great. Now he's not going to tell me something that he obviously knows. I half wish he was back to being evil, if only he would tell me the truth! _I thought, frustrated.

"They also believe that the Guardians still trust you. That is the case, isn't it, Mizuki-san?" Nikaido asked.

I looked down at the floor, feeling slightly guilty. "Yeah, they still don't seem to have any idea that I'm working for Easter." I decided to change the topic, surprised that the conversation was actually flowing rather smoothly. "So what exactly happened with the whole experiment thing? No offense, but you strike me as someone who would have prepared for everything. How come it didn't work? And what was that blob thing?"

Nikaido laughed, though it seemed to have an a slight edge to it. "The truth is, I wasn't expecting you to turn on me, Mizuki-san. When I asked you to get Tamiya-san's egg, that was a test to see if you would be able to fight the Guardians when I really needed you to. Even when you refused to kidnap Amu's charas, I thought that you would still fight them for me. Or, at the very least, I thought I'd be able to scare you into fighting them. I'm normally quite a good judge of people, but I guess I just misjudged the wrong person at the wrong time." He paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you ask something else?"

"Yeah. What was up with the X-energy attacking?"

"Oh, that's right." Nikaido said. "Well, the X-energy was unstable after being extracted from the X-eggs, which is it's solid focus. Once it managed to get out, I imagine it was trying to grow stronger. First it tried to do it by turning Daichi into an X-egg, which I'm assuming it would have then absorbed. But then, once it sensed the amount of X-energy in your attacks, it decided to turn on you. As I'm sure you noticed, the attacks you used only made it stronger - that's just like when a regular X-egg attacks you. The only reason it was able to affect you was because it was trying to draw the X-energy out of you, not use X-energy against you directly."

"So if that's the case, why can't X-eggs absorb my attacks when I hit them?" I'd demolished X-eggs before with my fire attacks. So why weren't they effective against the blob?

"Hmm..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'd have to do more research on it to be sure. I have two theories. One is that X-eggs are simply so much weaker than you, that they can't absorb your attacks, Mizuki-san. My other guess is that X-eggs have a solid form, while the concentrated mass of X-energy that you tried to fend off did not. Of course, that wouldn't explain why you can absorb X-egg attacks while they can't absorb yours.... perhaps it's a combination of both." He talked about it like it was simply some school experiment... it kind of creeped me out, but there was still no malice in him voice.

"Miyuki!" Azami suddenly called, and I looked away from Nikaido to see her flying towards me. She landed casually on my shoulder, as if she'd only been gone for a few minutes, then glared at Nikaido. "I still don't like you." She said flatly.

"Oh? And why is that, Azami?" asked Nikaido. "It seemed to me as if you rather liked me when we first met. Or, if not liked, then perhaps you were amused."

Wow. He was describing her initial feelings towards him almost exactly. "At the beginning, yes." Azami said. "But not since you tried to force me into my X-egg through making Miyuki doubt herself."

I was surprised that she was speaking about it so frankly. I think I'd only mentioned it to her once, and that had been when I was really angry. She'd never brought up the topic.

"Oh, that." Nikaido said, smiling even larger. "You'll have to excuse me for that. I'm somewhat of a scientist at heart, and scientists are always curious. I wanted to see what would happen if an already hatched chara turned into an X-chara. I really couldn't help myself." He said this last sentence with a laugh that chilled me to the bones. It was his evil side again, under a cover of friendly laughter.

But as quickly as his dark side had appeared, it disappeared. "I'll admit, I'm still slightly curious... I hope you won't hold it against me, Azami."

"I am going to hold it against you." Azami said, still glaring.

Nikaido shrugged. "Well, I tried to apologize. At least I can't be blamed for lack of effort. Anyway, I think I should start on my shopping sometime soon - I imagine it must be getting somewhat late. I'll see you when school starts up again, Mizuki-san!" He said, leaving with a friendly wave. It took me a couple of seconds to process what he'd just said.

_Wait... does that mean he's coming back to teach at Seiyo again? After all he did to me and the rest of the Guardians? _Then it struck me that it probably _was_ getting late. I pulled out my phone and practically could have hit myself - between my reverie and talking with Nikaido, it was already five 'o clock. And I still hadn't bought a single present.

"So did you get all your daydreaming done?" Azami asked as I put away my phone.

"Yeah. Thanks for all your moral support with that, by the way. I couldn't have done it without you." I said sarcastically.

"No problem." Azami replied jokingly. "Anyway, are we going to finish up this shopping or what?"

I started hurrying around the mall, and soon ideas for presents began coming into my head. _I guess getting all of that remembering out of the way really _did _help me think._ And, better yet, I knew from my wandering around earlier at which stores I could get what I needed.

For Kukai, I got a new set of cleet spikes. Perhaps not the most personal of gifts, but I did remember him complaining that his old ones were getting dull from all the sports he did.

Despite my better judement, I got Yaya a large assortment of candy, with everything from massive lollipops to gummy bears. It would probably make her hyper enough to literally bounce off of the walls. Which might prove amusing for the first minute or so.

I had some trouble deciding what to get Nadeshiko. She was so refined, and it seemed like her family was rich anyway. But then I remembered a beautiful pendant that I had seen earlier. It seemed to be some sort of stone, which was mostly light blue with some pink swirled into it. I figured it had to be artificially colored, and yet it seemed to be all natural. I bought it and a nice chain to go with it. It was fairly inexpensive, so I didn't have to worry about spending more on her than I had been on everyone else.

Tadase's gift was even more tricky to come up with. Giving him chocolates or candy might send the wrong message, and he wasn't sporty like Kukai. Eventually, I decided to get him a friendly, joking gift. I went to the costume store, and bought a crown, a scepter, and a royal cape. I felt kind of bad that I couldn't get him something that he might appreciate more, but I really didn't know what else to do.

And finally, Amu's gift. I wanted to get the perfect gift for her, and so I put a lot of thought into what I could possibly buy. But she always seemed so happy just being with other people... I had no idea what she could possibly want. I wandered around for a while, hoping for inspiration to strike. As I was passing a jewelry store, something caught my eye. Hope for the perfect present blossomed, and I rushed in. Once inside, I found what had given me my inspiration - Italian link charm bracelets, with who knows how many charm options lying on a table in front of them. I quickly started going through the charms and, as if by magic, I picked out the charms I needed one by one. I found the pink heart first. Then a black spade - I would repaint it later, to match Miki's customary blue color. And finally, a club charm (yet again, I'd need to repaint it). Right as I was about to take these and one of the bracelets to the checkout counter, another charm caught my eye: a king's crown. And then, of course, I had to try and find one for each Guardian. It felt like a miracle as I found one after another: after the crown, I found a soccer ball; after that, I found a pacifier; next, a purple flower just like the one that Nadeshiko got in her hair whenever she chara-change; and finally, a charm with a simple flame on it. A charm for each of the charas of the Guardians. I knew already that Amu would love it. I thanked my lucky stars that all of the perfect charms had actually been here.

Despite the fact that I probably wouldn't see her tomorrow, I wanted to get Mai something as well. I thought about getting her something creativity-related - maybe a creative writing book, or an idea journal for writing - but it felt strange getting her something related to the dream that I had originally destroyed. So instead, I found a bracelet that seemed absolutely perfect for her. It was simply a circle of woven leather, which had been bleached and recolored a light, pastel shade of blue. Exactly the same shade as the pencil that had been on her heart's egg. It was very plain, and not very eye catching, and yet a beautiful bracelet nonetheless. In other words, it was perfect for Mai. She wouldn't have wanted some shiny or brightly-colored piece of jewelry.

While I was still at the jewelry store, I discovered that they had a large selection of multiple kind of rocks, which you could buy by the bag. The bag themselves only held about a handful of anything, but that was all I needed for my intentions. I put in some fool's gold, mixed in with some small crystals and some realistic-looking fake gems. Azami had _said _that dragons like treasure hoards; I figured she might as well have one of her own. Azami acted like it was no big deal, but as soon as I bought them, she would hardly move more than a couple feet away from the shopping bag I was carrying them in.

I was just about to leave when, on a passing whim, I went to a pet store and got tuna and catnip. I'll admit that I liked Yoru, and it was always fun to see how he reacted to anything cat related. I thought about getting something for Ikuto as well, but decided against it. If I met up with him, he'd just have to live without a gift.

As I finally left the mall at nearly eight in the evening, I let myself reflect once more over the events of the past months. And I came to a conclusion about everything. I had Azami, and with her, I could face anything. I could even go up against Nikaido, who had scared me more than anything else I could remember. After him, whatever else Easter could throw at me would be a walk in the park. But there was one thing I failed to realize:

I'd never actually had an easy walk through any park.

* * *

Hooray! Book 1 is finished! I would yet again like to thanks everyone who has read up to this point! I'm so glad that you're apparently interested enough to have read this far! It was nearly 150,000 words~

However, this is not the end! This has only been book 1! Books 2 and 3 (and maybe even 4) are still yet to come! In fact, I waited to post this last chapter so that you could move directly on to book 2! Since I can't put links in the story itself, please go to my profile and you'll be able to find book 2 already up!

Please remember to alert and/or favorite book 2 when you get to it!


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